


Forget My Number

by thnx4thosmmrs



Series: ...My Number [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Actor Harry Styles, Beards, Break Up, Coming Out, Endgame Niall Horan/Harry Styles, Engagement, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Getting Back Together, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Inaccurate Timline, M/M, Mentions of other celebrities - Freeform, Minor Harry Styles/Kendall Jenner, Model Niall, Moving On, PR stunts, Paparazzi, Past Abuse, Sad Harry, Sad Niall, Slight Smut, Slight feminization, Social Media, Solo Artist Harry, Sophiam Is Still A Thing, Texting, University Student Niall, cause i can't write that, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-12-19 23:47:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 98,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11908761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thnx4thosmmrs/pseuds/thnx4thosmmrs
Summary: Niall:Just do me a favor and forget my number please[Or the one where Harry messed up, Niall's heartbroken and they're both miserable]Sequel to Wrong Number





	1. "guilty"

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a sequel to Wrong Number, if you haven't read that maybe you should so you can understand the characters better.

**//11 Months Later; December 17//**

"Niall? Where are you going?" Harry asks as he enters their room and stops when he sees the blonde packing his clothes. "Are you leaving for work?"

"I'm leaving, but I'm not coming back," Niall replies in a hoarse voice, not even bothering to look over at Harry who swallowed the lump in his throat.

"W-Why? Niall, I know we've been having problems but is this necessary? W-We've been trying to work things out, I know we can do go back to how we were!" Harry asked as he crossed the room and grabbed Niall's wrist, preventing him from shoving more things into his suitcase. "Niall, babe-"

"Don't call me that!" Niall screamed angrily as he glared up at Harry with red watery eyes and Harry's eyes widened at Niall's outburst. He'd never seen Niall this angry and honestly? It was a bit frightening.

"Niall, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Niall chuckled bitterly, a tear rolling down his cheek as he grabbed his phone and searched for something. "This is wrong."

Harry looked down at the screen when Niall shoved the phone to his face and he gasped. It was a picture of him and Kendall making out at a party from two weeks ago. Niall changed the picture and there was a fifteen second video of Kendall and him dancing and kissing, her arms around Harry's neck and his hands close to her ass.

"H-How'd you get those?" Harry stuttered out as Niall turned his phone off and went back to packing his things.

"I got them via an email from a stranger," Niall mumbled, closing the bag and zipping it up before moving to the next one. "No wonder you never kissed me or touched me anymore. All that guilt must be eating at you."

"Niall, I-I swear I didn't mean to," Harry tried, wanting to stop Niall from leaving but he knew the blonde was going to do so anyways. They'd been having problems for awhile now, the song Spaces being a product of Harry's insecurities during everything.

"I'm done, Harry. I'm so unhappy here because of that, because of what happened between you and Kendall and because of our relationship. I can't take it anymore. We sleep in the same bed, but it feels like we're just best friends living together. I need to start thinking about myself and being here with you isn't helping me," Niall cried, the tears rolling down faster now. "I'm not okay, Harry."

Harry's tears began to cloud his vision because Niall was right. He wasn't okay and Harry hadn't done a damn thing to make sure he was. He'd ignored the fact that Niall had drowned himself in school work and traveling for photo shoots. He'd ignored the fact that Niall had lost a significant amount of weight and he ignored the fact that sometimes Niall stayed up until really late tossing and turning unable to find sleep. His guilt had prevented him from seeing everything. From doing something.

"I'm so sorry," Harry choked out, a tear rolling down his cheek as he wrapped his arms around Niall's waist from behind and buried his face into Niall's back. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Niall shook his head and bit his bottom lip, continuing to pack his things angrily. Trixie walked in just as Niall zipped up his last bag and she nudged her nose against his legs.

"Ni, please baby," Harry begged, watching his boyfriend drag his things towards the door.

"No, Harry. I'm done with you. Go be with Kendall if you want, but it's time I think about myself for once," Niall said as he looked at Harry sadly before going up to him. "I love you, I do, but I can't do this anymore. What we currently have is not healthy and you know it."

Harry cupped Niall's face in his hands and pressed his lips against the blonde's in one final kiss. Niall wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and closed his eyes as he savored Harry's lips for the last time.

Harry never thought Niall and him would part ways like this. He never thought they'd get to this situation and it's all his fault. He hadn't been trying hard enough and the arguments increased the more work they head and the more time they preferred to be away from one another.

They pulled away and Niall shook his head sadly before walking out of Harry's reach, his heart broken into a million little pieces as he began to walk away from the best thing that's ever happened to him. Away from the one guy who's shown him what true love is like and that Niall didn't need to fear it. Away from the guy who always treated him like a prince.

"W-Where are you going to go?" Harry asked worriedly as he watched Niall put on his coat and shoes.

"Hotel. Leaving for Ireland in the morning and when I get back I'll just find an apartment," Niall replied in a monotone voice as he avoided Harry's gaze, lips still tingling with their last kiss and his body yearning to feel Harry wrapped around him. "Bye Harry."

And Niall was gone. Out of his life and out of what used to be their home. He was gone and there was nothing else Harry could do because he'd messed it all up on his own.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

**//January 15//**

**"Niall Horan returns to social media after his break up with Harry Styles"**

_'The Irish model closed down his Instagram and Twitter accounts shortly before Christmas and remained MIA for over a month. Niall made his return to social media this morning where he has since unfollowed Harry Styles along with his bandmates and deleted pictures with the singer. The two called it quits back in December claiming that they'd grown apart and that it was friendly break up. Since then, Horan has remained absent from social media and was last seen publicly heading into Heathrow. A friend close to the model told us, "Niall wanted to get away from it all. He's very heartbroken over his break up and can't believe they ever got to a point where they behaved more like friends..."_

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** One step at a time...

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Hoping that this year treats me better

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** No I'm not changing my username back so please stop asking :)

*

 **Niall News @NiallNews:** Niall returned to social media and changed his Twitter username

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** Niall has now unfollowed Harry and the rest of the guys from FOUR from Twitter and Instagram :(

|

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** Harry's unfollowed Niall from his social media as well

**//January 17//**

Jess @Jesssssy_16: why do I get the feeling that we're gonna get Narry drama soon? It's too quiet in the fandom

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall wasn't sure how he'd gone through a whole month without Harry. He's been numb and only cried the first two days. The rest has been a haze of anger and disappointment. So much of those two Niall hadn't been able to function properly. He barely slept and ate. He had no idea how he was even alive at this point.

After leaving what had been his home, he flew to Ireland where he spent the last month in hiding. He spent that month spending time with his family where he also found out that Louis, Liam and Zayn knew that Harry had been cheating on him with Kendall since they were in LA for the AMAs back in November. Niall hadn’t been able to attend because of his own work and he’d even kissed Harry goodbye, the two having had spent the night before together trying to solve their problems. Niall had been happy and thought that things would be alright, but then Harry returned from LA and he couldn’t even look Niall in the eye and now the blonde knew why.

Then Niall got the pictures of Harry and Kendall at a party there in London and Niall had connected the dots. When the statement came out, Niall had said that things had ended in a friendly note between them and had stated as them having grown apart, but really, Niall had been so angry at the moment that all he wanted was to destroy Harry and tell the truth. But that wasn’t Niall and he knew he would regret it later on.

And now a month later, Niall was living alone in an apartment he wasn’t sure he could ever call home.

*

“Yes Shawn,” Niall sighed into his phone as he got his school things ready for his first day back from the holidays tomorrow.

“You know if you need me, just say so and I’ll gladly fly over, Nialler,” Shawn reminded the blonde in a worried tone.

“I’m fine mom, really. Besides, school’s starting again and that’ll keep me plenty busy. Aren’t you busy with writing for your new album and stuff?”

“No I’m actually not, but either way, I’m heading to London sometime in the beginning of February since I’m recording some songs up there and it’s a great excuse to go visit you and knock some sense into you if I have to.”

Niall chuckled softly and shook his head fondly at his best friend. Shawn now lived in Canada, much closer to his family and Niall was happy for him, he really was, but some days Niall just really needed him and wished they still lived together. Today was one of those days, but Niall wasn’t going to admit that. He’d already taken Shawn from his family for too long and now that the lad was finally back in his hometown, Niall wasn’t going to take that away from him again simply because he had a broken heart.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t sound too like yourself,” Shawn asks for the third time in a soft gentle tone to not upset the blonde who bites his bottom lip and sits on his bed and stares down at his lap.

“I was wearing his hoodie that day I confronted him about the cheating and I ended up taking it with me to Ireland and I’m still wearing it. I reckon I should probably get rid of it so I can move on, but I honestly can’t,” Niall confesses in a broken voice and teary eyes as he lays back into his pillows, the same ones he was laying on the first time he and Harry made love nearly two years ago. “I’ve got a box in my closet with junk of his I keep finding in my drawers or cute notes he’d leave me in the pocket of my jeans. They’re all still there. His number is still in my phone and the worst thing is that if he decided to call and apologize right now, I’d forgive him because I miss him and I feel so fucking empty without him, Shawn. So so empty.”

“Oh Ni,” Shawn says softly and the blonde covers his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie as he chokes back a sob. “Hey, no don’t cry. I know- I know this is fucking awful and all, but you’re strong and I’m very confident that you’ll feel better soon.”

“I-I know it’s just, I’ve spent this last month feeling so fucking angry and- and sometimes I don’t know what the hell I’m doing!”

Shawn stayed quiet on the other end as he let Niall cry his heart out, wishing they weren’t in different countries so he could just hug him until he’s not so broken anymore.

“I-I’m sorry,” Niall apologizes to him with a weak chuckle as he wipes away his tears though more keep coming.

“Don’t apologize, yeah? I’d be more worried if you didn’t cry and pretended that you were okay. Now, I know it’s late over there and you have classes tomorrow, so I’m gonna let you get some rest. But if you need to talk to me or something, just call me or something, I don’t care what time it is yeah? I’ll always be here for you,” Shawn told Niall sternly.

“Alright, thank you.”

“It’s no problem, yeah? Night, Nialler.”

“Night Shawn,” Niall said softly and hung up his phone before letting out a long tired shaky sigh.

Niall was bound for another sleepless night.

**//January 18//**

Niall was running a bit late for his seven thirty lecture, so he just made his coffee to go and grabbed a protein bar before racing out the door with his coat unbuttoned and scarf hanging around his neck. The only thing getting him through uni anymore was the idea of finally graduating next year. He was tired of seeing the same assholes everyday. Especially Mitch, his one night stand from before Harry.

"Yo blondie!" Someone shouted as Niall was halfway to the front door of the large school building.

He turned around and groaned when he saw it was Adam. He's from Ohio and arrived a few months ago and so far, he follows Niall around like a lost puppy. Harry always hated it and Niall loved to tease him about his jealousy.

"Yes Adam?" Niall asked as he turned around to stare at the taller lad whose cheeks and tip of his nose were bright pink from the winter air.

“Hi, it’s just- kinda missed you over the holidays,” Adam says shyly and Niall gives him a soft small smile.

Niall sees Adam in the hallways between classes and always sees him as loud when being around his friends, but the poor guy always gets all shy and quiet around Niall which is quite amusing to the Irish lad. As annoying Adam can be, Niall likes him though.

“Yeah? Did you have a nice time?” Niall asks him as he hooks his arm around Adam’s and the two begin to head towards the building to get away from the cold.

“Definitely! I got to go back home and see my family. Did you have a good time? I mean, I’m not trying to pry or anything, but I hope you did. You deserve it.”

The halls are crowded and Niall walks close to Adam to avoid bumping into his peers.

“Um yeah, it was okay. Could have been better,” Niall tells Adam honestly and the taller boy nods in understanding.

They split up after that and Niall heads to the third floor for his first class. The room is still sort of empty when he walks in, but he sits at the back like usual and waits for the professor to start the lecture.

"Alright class, settle down!" The professor called and the talking came to a complete stop. “I hope you all had a lovely holiday, but it’s time to get back to work. Today we're going to talk about your next big assignment-”

Niall sighed quietly and the professor went on and on about what's to come in the next four and a half months. He grabbed his phone and realized he had a text from Louis. Niall hesitated. His heart raced and he unlocked his phone to read the message.

 **Louis:** I know I promised to give you time and all, but I really am sorry and I miss you so much, Neil. We honestly didn't mean to keep it from you but you gotta understand that we couldn't exactly tell you.

Niall took in a deep breath and then let out a shaky sigh. He understood why they wouldn't tell him, but doesn't mean it doesn't hurt that they all knew way before him. And now that he can remember, no wonder they sometimes looked at him with pitying looks.

 **Louis:** we really are sorry Ni. We all feel so fucking guilty and I feel like I let you down. But I felt trapped. You're both my best friends and I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't want to hurt him either. He promised he would tell you and I should have known better

Niall felt himself tearing up a bit. He read over that same message trying to come up with a response, but he honestly couldn't. He wasn't as mad with the boys anymore, and he wanted to keep being their friend, but he wasn't sure what was getting in the way of forgiving them completely.

 **Louis:** I just really hope you can forgive us soon, we really miss you. If you need more time than I understand and this time I'll wait until you give the first step.

And before Niall could text back, the girl sitting next to him nudged Niall who looked up in confusion only to find that the board in front of them was full of notes. The nearly brunette lad sighed and put his phone away to concentrate on his school work.

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~ ~ ~**

"I miss him," Harry whines as he sits on Liam's couch with a beer bottle in his hand and a sad tired look on his face.

"And whose fault was it," Zayn asks rhetorically as he looks up at Harry with an unamused expression.

Harry scowls and takes a large gulp of his drink. Liam only sighs and shakes his head at the younger lad in front of him.

"How long do you reckon I should wait before I try to talk to him again?" Harry asks them awhile later and they'd all thought they were done with that conversation.

"Honestly? A century. You know how much Niall hates Kendall and you sleeping with his enemy really erased you from his good books," Zayn answers him honestly and Harry groans as he runs a hand through his long messy hair. "Look, I know you're anxious to talk to him and apologize and beg for forgiveness on your knees, but don't torment the lad. Put yourself in his shoes, how do you think he feels? I say wait and give it all some time. He's a good kid and he can't hold grudges and we all know that. Just let him be for now."

"That and if Shawn's in town, I don't think he'd let you get to close without punching you," Liam added with a smirk and Zayn snickered while Harry rolled his eyes. "Kid's been packing some muscle lately."

"Yeah he has," Harry pouts. "Where's Louis? You two are always attached at the hip."

"He left this morning to go visit his family. He's still pretty upset over what happened. Especially with Niall ignoring us and all," Zayn explains to Harry who only feels a lot worse.

He knows Louis was really close to Niall and he can't even begin to imagine how awful Louis must feel.

Harry went to his house after that. As he entered his home though, he couldn't help but feel sadness wash over him. Trixie walked over to him and made a sad little noise as Harry crouched down to pet her.

"Oh Trix, if only I'd have known how to value the most important person in my life. Least you'll still get to see your mommy," Harry says as he hugs his dog tightly, closing his eyes as flashbacks of him and Niall playing with her flashed through his eyes. "Oh Ni, I'm so sorry bunny. So so sorry."

He never realized how empty his life is without Niall. The blonde was his everything, still is his everything but he let a stupid mistake ruin it all. He let Kendall in and now he can't shake her off and in the process he lost the love of his life.

Before Niall, Harry had known something was missing but he didn't know what. Then Niall appeared out of mistake and he suddenly felt complete, even when at first they only texted and didn't even know each other in person, Niall had been someone he could just tell anything to and not expect a sassy reply, or moody response. Niall had quickly become his best friend and it was refreshing to talk to someone who wasn't in his band. Someone who wasn't in the media, because even though Niall didn't understand, he still somehow knew the right thing to say. He knew how to make Harry okay after a long day of writing or rehearsing.

And now Harry's life was back to being empty. Back to being how it was even though he no longer knew how to live like that anymore. He didn't know how to breath without his Niall.

As he sat on his couch, he half expected Niall to walk in through the front door yelling for him and with a large grin on his face. As he stared towards the stairs, he thought about the countless times Niall ran down them and nearly tripped which would then make Harry scold him. He remembered all the times he'd walk in and would find Niall on the living room floor playing with Trixie.

He chuckled sadly to himself and wiped away his tears. Oh how did he want Niall back in his arms.


	2. "I'm happy"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** "Me and my heart, we'll make it through. If happy is her, I'm happy for you."

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//February 2//

TRENDING

Kendall and Harry  
#Hendall

 **Hendall @HendallNews:** Pics of Kendall and Harry in Mexico celebrating Harry's birthday!! [image attached]

 **4 Band @4BandUpdates:** Harry celebrated his 22nd birthday with Kendall Jenner in Mexico + friends

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** those pics of Kendall and Harry make me wanna vomit

*

[picture of Kendall and Harry kissing in the beach]

816 likes

 **FOURUpdates:** I love Harry and I'll always support him, but I don't like him with Kendall. Mainly because she was always so mean to Niall and because of what she said about him in that one interview. This is the first and last time we'll post any updates on Hendall

View all 117 comments

 **imissnarry:** I'm so sad, I can't even begin to imagine what Niall must be feeling right now :(

 **Jenner_Styles:** Kendall apologized for what she said about Niall, why can't you guys just let it fucking go? Narry is over and I'm sure they don't want people rubbing a nonexistent relationship in their faces

 **Naomi_Stylinson:** _@Jenner_Styles_ we get that she apologized, but it still won't change the fact that she called him a gold digger and a "talentless nobody who won't ever be somebody in this industry". And yes I just quoted her word for word. Bye honey.

 **TS_1989:** @Jenner_Styles Yeah she apologized, but that doesn't mean we have to believe she meant it. I'm not even mad that she finally got what she wanted, I'm pissed at Harry for still wanting to go out with her after she said those things about his ex, who he didn't even defend when questioned about it during an interview.

**~ ~ ~*/NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall walks through the halls of his school until he reaches an exit and sighs once he's out in the cold. A group of girls, probably first year students, had approached Niall during his walk from one class to the other and had asked him how he felt now that Harry was with Kendall. He wasn't in the mood for a bunch of gossipy girls who would open their big mouths so he snapped at them and told them to get lost. He'd already been in a bad mood when he woke up because his alarm hadn't gone off and he couldn't make it to his first lecture.

He wishes the ground could swallow him.

"Why so lonely, babe?" Mitch asked as he approached Niall who groaned. "Are you pissy because your boyfriend has a girlfriend? Word is, he cheated on you because you couldn't satisfy him in bed anymore."

"You would know about cheating," Niall told him with a smirk as he stood in front of him. "Tell me, Mitchell, wasn't it you who was screaming my name two years ago after that party? Wasn't it you who was praising me for being so good in bed? Huh? Or did you suddenly forget that we fucked and that you wanted to keep seeing me because you said and I quote 'haven't had such amazing sex in awhile.' Huh?"

Mitchell was left speechless and with wide eyes as he stared at Niall who was smirking in victory while two of Mitch's friends who'd heard the whole thing, snickered.

"And Harry never cheated on me because he's much definitely a way better man than you ever will. I'm glad Jasmine left your ass. Bye boys!" Niall waves at Mitchell's friends.

"Bye Niall!" They wave back happily and Niall let's out a long tired sigh as the smile is wiped from his face as he heads to his car trying not to cry.

It's been a long day.

Niall gets home feeling so tired, emotionally. He can't shake off those images of Kendall and Harry kissing and having the time of their life. Niall wants to hate Harry for moving on so quick. Wants to hate him for being so happy while Niall is still missing him every day. He wants to hate Harry for making his heart hurt all over again. He wants to hate Harry for making him fall in love with him.

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** "Me and my heart, we'll make it through. If happy is her, I'm happy for you."

*

Niall is curled up in the tub under the hot spray of the shower. His skin is turning red from the hot water, but he doesn't care. He's been numb all day and he thought he was getting better. Starting to forget Harry, but seeing the pictures of him being out with Kendall on his birthday really just made him realize he'd never really started getting over Harry. Made him realize he'd been ignoring his broken heart all along.

"F-Fuck," Niall chokes out as he begins to sob loudly into his arms, his whole body shaking and his tears being mixed with the water.

He was alone. Best friend living in a different country, family as well, and Niall didn't want anything to do with the other boys for now and they'd finally stopped trying to reach him. He had no one.

It takes him up until the water's gone ice cold for him to stop crying and wash his hair and body quickly. After he's done, he's shaking from the cold and skin is no longer red from the heat of the water but a slight shade of blue with goosebumps all over his bare skin. He wraps a towel around his waist and then grabs an extra and wraps it around his shoulders.

"Niall?" A familiar voice calls out and it makes the blonde frown.

Niall walks out of the bathroom and to his room where Shawn walks in looking worried.

"S-Shawn?" Niall stuttered out, teeth chattering and brain not being able to process the fact that Shawn should be in Toronto with his family and not in London with Niall. He's too cold right now and all he wants is to get dressed and bury himself in layers of blankets.

"Jesus kid, I seriously can't leave you alone, can I?" Shawn questions as he moves around Niall's room to grab the throw blanket sitting at the foot of Niall's bed and wrapping it around the shaking blonde. "Did you take a shower outside?"

"F-Felt like it," Niall stuttered out as he sat on his bed and gripping the towel around his shoulders tightly while Shawn grabbed a hoodie and some flannel pajama pants from his closet. "W-What are you d-doing h-here?"

"I'm recording some songs in London over the next two weeks and I decided to fly in today. I've been calling you for the past ten-ish minutes. Wanted to make sure you were okay, but you're clearly not," Shawn finishes softly as he hands Niall the clothes. "Get changed and I'll be in the kitchen making you some tea."

Niall nodded and Shawn left the room after pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. The blonde quickly got changed and put on some fuzzy blue socks before walking out of his room. Niall found Shawn standing in front of the stove as he waited for the water to boil in the kettle. He walked over to Shawn and wrapped his arms around the taller lad, burying his face into his shoulder as tears began to fall from his eyes again.

"I thought I was over it," Niall mumbles into Shawn's shirt in a hoarse voice and eyes squeezed shut.

"It's not something that you can get over quickly, Ni," Shawn tells the blonde as he wraps an arm around him and rubs his back. "I'm more worried that you kept it all locked away."

"I miss him so much."

Shawn doesn't say anything else as the water is done and he prepares Niall's tea with the blonde clinging to him. The two go sit on the couch and Niall drinks his tea carefully in silence. Shawn looks at the blonde sadly and shakes his head. Niall looks the same, if not slightly worse, than the last time he saw him. He's still really pale, with bags under his eyes and still scary thin. The last time Shawn had seen him like that was after Corey. But Shawn wasn't going to compare situations, he never could.

"Do you ever think about Corey?" Niall suddenly asked Shawn, startling him out of his thoughts and making his eyes widen a bit. "Like wonder where he's at or if he's changed?"

"Honestly, I only started thinking about him since you broke up with Harry. But I don't think he's changed, Ni. Someone like him, I don't think is capable of changing," Shawn replied honestly, looking over at Niall who was staring down at his tea with a slight frown.

It fell silent between them and then Niall was letting out heart wrenching sobs that made Shawn's chest ache as he quickly gathered the smaller boy into his arms and held him tight. The empty mug sitting on the ground by their feet.

"W-Why would he d-do this to me?" Niall asked awhile later after he'd calmed down and was still in his best friend's arms. "Today would have been our two year anniversary."

"I don't know, Nialler," Shawn answers as he readjusts himself so Niall's legs are draped over his lap.

After awhile of silence, Shawn notices that Niall's dozing off so he pats the boy's knee and startles him awake.

"You should get in bed. Don't you have an early lecture tomorrow?" Shawn asks as he helps Niall up.

"Yeah at eight. I'll see you in the morning," Niall says as he begins to head off towards his room, but stops halfway and turns to look at his best friend. "Thanks for being here with me."

"You know I'll always have your back, Ni," Shawn says softly and watches the blonde walk off.

**//February 3//**

Niall wakes up in the morning feeling well rested for the first time in nearly two months. He'd slept through the night with no nightmares or anything. As he sat up in his bed with his phone reading a little past six in the morning, Niall stretched with a smile on his face. Something about being able to cry last night while somebody held him has him feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt like he could breath again and he was ready to get on with his life and determined more than ever to get over Harry.

"Morning!" Niall greeted as he walked into the kitchen where Shawn was making himself a cup of coffee.

"It's too early for you to be so happy," Shawn grumbled moodily as he looked over at Niall and did a double take.

Niall was dressed in light blue skinny jeans and a lilac colored knit sweater with his hair brushed neatly in a quiff. It was a very drastic change to the leggings and Harry's hoodie he'd been wearing for the past month.

"Well don't you look hot," Shawn tells him with a smirk, watching the not so blonde boy blush and busy himself with grabbing a mug for his tea.

"Fuck off, Shawny boy," Niall mumbled. "So I've got classes until one and then I'm meeting up with Sandra for a meeting. You up for dinner?"

"Sure. I'll be in the studio until then. Same place as always?"

"Yeah."

Niall had a quick breakfast before he put on his coat, grabbed his bag and left for school. It was a long and tiring day for Niall who got pitying looks from a few people. He hated it, but he kept his head held high because he was determined to get over this damn heartbreak. He wasn't going to drown in his sadness any longer.

After his last class was over and Niall was in his car, he got a text from Laura and he smiled softly as he read over it.

 **Laura:** Hiya my precious bean!! Was wondering if you are free tomorrow say around noon? Got some guy Eoghan and I want you to meet :)

 **Laura:** Like as a friend, but if you like him then he's available ;)

 **Laura:** we're not pushing tho, definitely not pushing

Niall shook his head with a small chuckle as he texted her back.

 **Niall:** I'm free. I only have two classes tomorrow and I should be done by then

 **Laura:** Perfect! See you then, my baby bean!!

Niall set his phone down and began to drive off to his meeting with his manager Sandra. He arrives at her office nearly an hour later and he hurried inside to get away from the cold.

"Hi Sandra!" Niall greeted her with a hug and kiss to her cheek.

"Hi love, take a seat," she told him with a smile and the two sat down, her in front of her computer and Niall across from her. "You're smiling again, I like that."

"Thanks, I actually feel a bit better now. Especially with Shawn here," he explains with a light blush that makes Sandra raise an eyebrow at him. "So what's up?"

"Well the iHeart Radio awards are next month and the producers want you to present a category. Obviously I told them that I'd ask first since we don't want a repeat of last year with you working so much, but just know that it might be possible that FOUR attend and if they do the producers might have you present a category in which they're nominated," Sandra explains to Niall who leans back in his chair with a racing heart.

"I'll do it, but I doubt they'll show up since they'll be in Asia by then."

"So you'll do it?"

Niall nods and she writes something down on her agenda and then flips the page.

"Okay, you've got another photoshoot and interview with that one magazine that gave you your first cover and I gotta ask, any questions you want to make off limits?" Sandra asks him in concern as she looks at him with raised eyebrows.

"Nope," he says simply.

"Very well. The interview and photoshoot will be by the end of this month and I'll text you the final details and location, though I'm guessing it'll be in France this time. Okay this is it. I'll keep in contact with you for the magazine stuff and the awards. Take care of yourself and sleep and eat a bit more, you're still not looking so great."

"I know."

It was past three o clock when Niall walked out of Sandra's office and decided to head to the studio where Shawn would be at. Once he pulled up at the building, he grabbed his phone from the passenger seat and quickly headed off.

"Niall! It's been awhile, mate!" One of Shawn's producers, Mikey, shouted excitedly as he pulled Niall into a tight hug.

"Hi Mikey, and it sure has. Hope Shawny boy isn't causing too much trouble," Niall teases as he looks over at his best friend who's sitting on a couch with his guitar and glaring playfully up at him.

"Well you know, same as usual. Being the perfectionist he is, so same old."

Niall chuckled and removed his coat and scarf. He sits by Shawn on the couch and peeks over at the song he's working on.

"Mikey, I still can't get this shit right," Shawn groaned as he strummed some chords and then crossed off a line of the song.

"Mate, we've been going over this for the past hour, I'm sure you can just come back to it some other day," Mikey told Shawn as he sat in a chair across from the two. "Unless our favorite Irish wants to give it a go?"

Niall opened his mouth to decline politely, but the two looked at him with tired and begging looks so Niall sighed and took the notebook. Niall read over the lyrics first before he set the notebook back down and took the guitar from Shawn.

*

"How's that?" Niall asked them an hour later as he went through the song once more.

"That sounds a lot better than Mendes' lousy attempts," muttered Mikey but there was a playful tone to his voice that made Niall laugh and Shawn to pout.

"You're my fucking life saver," Shawn told Niall with a wide grin before reaching over to press a kiss to his cheek.

Niall was glad that Shawn missed the blush on his cheeks as did Mikey who was working over by the control panel. The blonde set the guitar down before he rubbed his slightly sweaty palms on his jeans as Shawn hummed the song.

Shawn and Niall headed out of the studio together not long after and headed to Niall's car so they could go eat.

"Thank you for helping out," Shawn says as he gets in the passenger seat.

"It's no problem, lad. It's always good to get someone else's opinion and I'm glad to have been of service," Niall tells him as he backs out of the parking spot.

"How was your meeting with Sandra?"

Niall tells Shawn about the awards thing and the Canadian lad looks at him a bit worriedly.

"And you'd be okay with it? Like if you had to present an award to FOUR?" Shawn asks him curiously and Niall sighs as he stops at a red light.

"I'm not okay right now, but hopefully by then I'll be a bit more emotionally stable, you know? Like, I don't want to run and miss out on events simply because he's going to be there. We're bound to run into each other and all, so I just need to grow a pair and deal with it," Niall answers him honestly with a small shrug of his shoulders as he begins to drive again and Shawn makes a small noise of acknowledgement.

"And I agree, but it's still soon, if you don't feel ready then don't do it. I mean, I'm gonna be there and all so you don't have to feel like you're alone, but if you don't think you're ready to run into him, then just say so."

"I know, but there's also a big probability that they won't be there because of their tour. I just- I kind of do what him to be there so he can see that I'm not locking myself away over what happened. So he can see that him breaking my heart isn't going to stop me from attending the same events as him."

"You know? You're right, you should go. Make him realize what he's missing out on," Shawn told Niall with a bit of a smirk and the blonde shook his head as he chuckled.

**~ ~ ~*/HARRY/* ~ ~ ~**

//February 5//

"Hope you had a splendid birthday, Harold," Louis tells his friend who arrived from Mexico that morning.

"I sure did," Harry says with a large smile as he plops down on the couch next to Louis who scoffs and shakes his head.

"So you're over Niall?"

"Louis," Zayn warned his boyfriend.

"No, but I've accepted the fact that I messed up and I'm not going to stop living my life because of it," Harry says casually and it only makes Louis glare at him more.

"So that means moving on with the girl you cheated on the supposed love of your life with? Nice to know how much you care."

"I do fucking care, but if he doesn't want anything to do with me then I'm not going to push him! Niall means the whole entire world to me and I'm still so fucking in love with him, so don't you ever fucking doubt that, Louis! I made a mistake and I'm not just going to sit around and mope until he decides that he wants to talk to me again. It hurts me that he's not with me anymore, it really does and I'm sorry you can't see that," Harry yelled at Louis angrily, eyes dark and narrowed at the shorter boy who didn't even flinch.

"Yeah and going out with Kendall is going to help get him back. Niall is only going to hate you more and you know it. Oh and don't even bother bringing her around me. I love you Harry, but she destroyed the only good relationship you've ever had," Louis said in a disappointed tone before he got up and left, leaving Zayn, Liam and Harry speechless.

"You gotta admit it's pretty low of you to go out with her knowing you've hurt Niall because of her," Liam speaks up for the first time since Harry stepped into the room and the curly haired lad puts his head in his hands.

"I-I didn't invite her. A mutual friend of ours was there and he's the one who did and we drank a bit too much and yeah," Harry explained to them.

"Just know that this really isn't going to help you out with Niall. You say you love him, but you're out there hurting him. Think about what you want to do, because if you want to keep dating her, then realize you'll really lose Niall now," Zayn tells Harry before he gets up and heads after his boyfriend.

It was silent between Harry and Liam until Harry's phone went off and he pulled it out from his back pocket to see who it was.

_Incoming Call... Kendall Jenner_

Harry hit decline and shook his head as he looked up at Liam who gave him a sad smile before he too left the room, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics used: Stone Cold - Demi Lovato
> 
> *
> 
> yes there will be a happy ending my darlings so don't you worry your pretty little heads, we just gotta get past all this drama. Also I just got caught up on Teen Wolf and all I have to say is that Malia and Scott are actually pretty cute together


	3. "forgive you"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall:** ...and I forgive you guys, I really do.

//February 10//

"So any plans for Valentine's Day?" Shawn asks Niall over dinner one day and the blonde froze with his hand curled around his glass of water.

"Yeah I'm going to Australia to visit my cheating ex boyfriend so we can go to dinner with his current girlfriend," Niall replies sarcastically as he looks up at Shawn with a smirk.

"You know what I mean, child. Like are you going out with friends or staying in?"

"Why? Is this your way of asking me out? Because if you are, just know I'm hard to please and I expect flowers as well."

"No you little freak, just that Aria is here tomorrow and we want to go out for some drinks-"

"Stop right there, love, I don't chaperone dates. Besides, I think Laura's planning something at hers," Niall told Shawn who huffed.

"You're such a dick," Shawn mumbles but it's all friendly banter and Niall laughs out loud, throwing his head back and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Well you are what you eat!" He manages to choke out and Shawn groans as the blonde continues to laugh.

"You're disgusting and I need a new best friend."

Niall stops laughing and there's a pout on his face which is pink from laughing. The two go back to eating and then watch TV for a bit before Niall heads off to sleep. The blonde sits on his bed and let's out a soft sigh as he throws his head back to look up at the ceiling. He then grabbed his phone and went back to the last message Louis had sent him. He hadn't replied yet, mainly because he kept forgetting or because he didn't know how to.

 **Niall:** hi Lou, I'm sorry it's taken me this long to answer, but I wanted to make myself a priority. I wanted to be ok first and I'm not totally ok yet, but I've really missed you and I forgive you guys, I really do.

 **Niall:** and I know you're busy right now or whatever, but yeah just text me whenever I guess

Niall set his phone down and hoped that he'd get a reply back, but ten minutes went by and he decided to just get under the covers. It was a little past one in the morning when Niall's phone began to buzz with a text and he grabbed his phone, smiling softly when he saw that it was Louis.

 **Louis:** I'm not sure on the whole time zone thing right now, but I'm so happy to hear from you, Niall. And I'm more than glad to hear that you've forgiven us

 **Louis:** also sorry if I woke you up

Niall decided to call Louis and only had to wait two rings before the older lad answered.

"Neil," Louis answers in a soft and relieved tone that makes Niall's heart ache and a lump form in his throat.

"Lewis," Niall chuckled out wetly as he sat up in his bed and brought his knees up to his chest. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, love. I'm really sorry for everything and I wish I could be there with you right now. I really am sorry."

"Stop apologizing. I know it wasn't really your fault for keeping it from me. I-I kinda ended up doing the same with Shawn when his last girlfriend was cheating on him. I-It wasn't the best feeling ever. You want to do what's best, but in the end you just don't want to hurt the ones you love," Niall told Louis as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm sorry too."

"Hey no, I don't want you apologizing yeah? We can all understand why you reacted the way you did. We're not gonna hold that against you."

It was quiet between them for a few seconds, but it wasn't awkward. It was a nice kind of quiet and Niall took in a deep breath to control his emotions.

"Don't you have work or something?" Niall asked Louis playfully.

"We're leaving for soundcheck in like half an hour, but- wait, what time is it back home?" Louis suddenly asked.

"It's past one in the morning, but don't worry. I don't have to be up early or anything. Though Shawn might come in and kill me sometime soon," Niall says and Louis laughs on the other end.

"So how have you been? You know after everything," Louis asks after his laughter has died down.

"I've been okay, I guess. I mean, I've definitely been a lot better with Shawn here, but there isn't a day that I don't think about Harry. Like it'll be at random, maybe I'll just be in the shower and I'll think about all those times we bathed together or what we might have been doing at that time. It's been a difficult adjustment."

"You know, sometimes _I_ can't believe this all happened."

"Trust me, the first few days it was like a nightmare."

Suddenly Niall's bedroom door opened and the lights were turned on, making Niall groan and throw a light blue pillow at Shawn who was standing by the doorway glaring at him.

"Hold on, Lou, I've got a giant in my room," Niall told Louis who giggled on the other line. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, can you like be quiet? It is nearly two in the morning now and I do not appreciate you talking so loudly," Shawn said as he leaned against the doorway looking tired and moody with his arms crossed across his bare chest.

"I'm sorry but my social life is more important at this hour."

Shawn made an angry noise at the back of his throat before he was jumping on Niall's bed and trying to take the phone from the blonde. Niall squeaked and tried holding the phone away from Shawn with his left hand while he placed his right against the younger man's chest to keep him away.

"Shawn! I'll hang up, I promise!" Niall squeaked out, laughing as Shawn's fingers tickled his sides.

"You better or I'll lock you out in the balcony without a jacket," Shawn threatened the blonde as he sat back, still glaring at him.

"Louis? I'm sorry, but I've gotta go, my life is kinda in danger at the moment," Niall told the other lad on the line as he too glared at Shawn.

"It's no problem, Niall, we have to leave in like five minutes anyway. Keep in touch, yeah?" Louis told Niall who smiled softly as he looked down at his lap.

"I will Lou. I love you and send my love to the other lads." The _minus Harry_ part went unsaid but Louis still knew it was there.

"Love you too and I will. Take care."

Niall hung up and set his phone on the nightstand before glaring up at Shawn who grabbed a pillow and hit Niall with it. Niall huffed and hit him back.

"Was that Louis?" Shawn asked as he crawled on the bed until he laid down beside Niall.

"Yeah I texted him first to say that I forgave him and that I missed him," Niall said softly as he laid down on his side to look at Shawn who was laying on his back.

"I'm glad you did, kid."

"Why do you always call me kid? I'm older than you," Niall argued with Shawn who laughed and sat up.

"I like calling you that. I like seeing you get angry. Now go to sleep or I'll come back in and beat your ass," Shawn threatened the blonde as he left the room and turned off the lights.

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~ ~ ~**

//February 11//

Harry walked into Louis and Zayn's hotel room with Liam and found Louis sitting on the couch talking on the phone with a large smile on his face.

"Wonder who he's talking to," Harry whispered to Liam who nodded and the two went over to sit next to him.

"It's no problem, Niall, we have to leave in like five minutes anyway. Keep in touch, yeah?" Louis said into his phone and Harry stiffened when he heard Niall's name, heart racing as he looked over at Louis as he sat and listened to whatever Niall was saying on the other end.

"Love you too and I will. Take care," Louis said and hung up before looking up at Liam and Harry.

"Was that Niall?" Liam asked with a smile.

"Yeah, sends his love to you and Zayn," Louis says and Harry feels his heart break a little more at that.

"H-How is he?" Harry asks a bit hesitantly.

"Harry-" Louis says but gets cut off quickly.

"Please Lou."

"He says he's doing okay and he's got Shawn with him right now. And he's not mad at us anymore so that's a relief."

"It really is," Liam says with a nod and smile.

Zayn returns from somewhere looking tired and grumpier than they've ever seen him. Louis bites his bottom lip and looks away from Zayn which makes Harry frown.

"Oh yeah, Paul told us that we had to go now," Liam says as he stands up and Zayn simply grunts and walks out of the room first.

Louis lets out a sigh and stands up along with Harry who wraps an arm around his shoulders.

"You two okay?" Harry asks his shorter friend.

"Uh I guess. He's just- I don't know. His heart hasn't been in it this tour and I'm worried. Every time I try talking to him he just pushes me away and he went out last night and came back very drunk. I'm really worried."

"I'm sure he'll get over it soon, yeah?"

"I hope so," Louis sighs.

It's halfway through soundcheck when Zayn looses it and takes his anger out on Louis. Zayn had messed up his solo and he'd stopped the music as their choreographer walked onto stage to see what the problem was.

"Zayn-" Louis began with a small hint of fear in his voice.

"No, stop! I'm sick tired of you getting on my damn case all day!" Zayn shouted at Louis with his eyes a dark shade and hands balled into fists at his side. "Back the fuck off, will ya?"

"Well I'm sorry for being worried about you! It's not my damn fault that you're acting like a prick to all of us when we haven't done anything to you!" Louis shouted back and Liam and Harry shared a look before moving closer in case they needed to step in.

"Well you don't have to worry about me."

"I worry because I love you, Zayn, why don't you get that?"

Zayn didn't say anything else and instead he stormed off leaving Louis to let out a shaky sigh and look down at the ground. Harry and Liam both moved over to Louis and noticed his shoulders were shaking a bit.

"Um can we take a break?" Liam asked their crew who nodded and he wrapped an arm around Louis' waist.

Harry and Liam lead Louis away from the others.

"I don't know what's wrong," Louis cried softly as they sat him down in their dressing room. "He's so cold towards me."

"We're sorry Lou, maybe he's just stressed or something," Harry says softly as he stares at his friend sadly.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//February 14//

[picture of roses and a light brown teddy bear with a heart that says 'I Love You']

Liked by camila_cabello, haileesteinfeld and 196,993 others

 **niallhoran:** Woke up to this lovely surprise!! Very grateful to have such a wonderful best friend by my side and I'm sorry if I'm sometimes a pain in the ass. Thank you for everything @shawnmendes

View all 31,283 comments

 **shanwmendes:** You are a pain in my ass everyday, but whatever, I still love you anyways xx

 **camila_cabello:** how sweet!! You guys are the cutest and I can't wait to see you. Happy valentine's day, Ni!!

 **MendesMyLove:** I need me a friend like Shawn

*

**"Battle of the exes! Niall Horan and Harry Styles spend Valentine's Day with their rumored partners"**

_'Niall Horan, 21, and Harry Styles, 22, broke up last December, but that doesn't mean that they haven't moved on already. Just earlier this month Styles celebrated his birthday at a beach in Mexico with Kendall Jenner where the two shared some steamy kisses, but things between the two went silent making people believe there was nothing going on between them. However earlier today the two were spotted walking round the streets of Melbourne, Australia where FOUR are currently at for their tour and sparking dating rumors all over again. Styles' ex wasn't left behind on this extra romantic day. The Irish model uploaded a picture on his Instagram of some roses and a stuffed animal that Canadian singer Shawn Mendes gave him that only fueled the dating rumors between the two some more...'_

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Cheers to all of us single people on this special day !!

 **Niall News @NiallNews:** Niall just shot down those dating rumors with a tweet, like yes boy!

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall woke up that morning really dreading the day ahead of him. He got out of bed and got ready for his day with sluggish movements and wanting nothing more than to curl up under his covers and stay there all day. He walks out of his room and finds Shawn cooking breakfast while humming to himself.

"Morning, Chef Mendes," Niall greets him tiredly as he walks over to see what he's cooking. "You're making me chocolate chip pancakes?! Fucking marry me."

Shawn laughed and shook his head as he looked over at Niall briefly.

"I would but you're too high maintenance, but wouldn't that make our families happy," Shawn says as he goes back to flipping the pancakes.

"True story, bro. But like, why are you cooking for me? You almost never do anymore."

"Well I kinda figured my boy would need a little extra lovin' today."

"You're too sweet, don't know why Aria won't date you," Niall comments as he grabs some plates.

"Because I haven't asked her? And because she had a boyfriend," Shawn reminds Niall who shrugs.

"That never stopped you from asking Sammy back in year 11."

"Well Sammy was different. We all knew her boyfriend was a jerk and was cheating on her so I came in and saved her from that jackass. Hey, could you go out into the living room? I forgot my phone on the coffee table."

"Sure," Niall says with a shrug and walks out, gasping quietly when he found a bouquet of red and pink roses along with a stuffed teddy. He picked up the two items and then headed back to the kitchen where Shawn had now turned off the stove. "What's this?"

"It's for you, silly. Happy Valentine's Day," Shawn says with a fond smile as he watches Niall tear up before he's hugging him tight.

"You didn't have to!" Niall cried into his shoulder and Shawn chuckles as he rubs Niall's back.

"Well I wanted to. I know how shitty these last few months have been and I hate seeing you so down so I wanted to buy you something to cheer you up a bit more," Shawn confesses a bit shyly and Niall pulls back as he holds the stuff in one arm.

"Thank you so much for this. It means a lot," Niall told him and out of impulse and excitement, leaned up to press his lips against Shawn's.

It was just a quick press of his lips, but Niall pulled away with a bright blush and wide eyes before he quickly walked off to place the roses in a vase.

*

"My precious bean!" Laura exclaims as she rushes over to hug Niall tightly, the blonde having just barely gotten out of his car.

"Is she drunk already?" Niall asked Eoghan who laughed and shook his head.

"No she's just really excited," Eoghan says as he too pulls Niall into a hug.

"You'll finally get to meet our friend! He's sorry for having had to cancel the other day, but work came up and he couldn't get out of it. He texted me and said he would be here in like five minutes."

"Alright, but just please, don't do any of that playing Cupid shit. I'm not looking to date anyone at the moment," Niall pleaded his friends who sighed but rolled their eyes.

"Yeah we know, but that doesn't mean we can't give you some eye candy," Eoghan teased Niall whose cheeks turned red.

"Hey guys!" A deep voice called out and Niall turned around to see a tall guy walk their way.

"Bressie!" Laura cheered and jumped on the tall guy while Niall looked over at Eoghan with raised eyebrows.

"Okay so maybe she's already a bit tipsy," Eoghan confessed with a shrug. "Bressie, mate, we want you to meet Niall. Horan, meet Niall Breslin."

"It's nice to meet you," Niall told Bressie a bit shyly and the taller man smiled and shook Niall's hand.

"Same here. I've heard a lot from Laura and Eoghan," Bressie tells Niall who blushes a bit and glares over at the two.

"Didn't I tell you he was pretty? He's so pretty!" Laura exclaimed as she leaned into Eoghan while staring at Niall with heart eyes and looking like she would start crying any second over that fact. "He's my precious little bean."

"Alright Laura, we get it," Niall told her as he chuckled in embarrassment while Bressie looked on in amusement.

"Can we head inside before this clown attracts the paparazzi?" Eoghan asks as he points thumb over at Niall who huffs.

The four make their way inside the club and head to a booth near the back. They order drinks and Niall, who's sitting next to Bressie, looks over at Laura who kicked his shin under the table.

"So Niall, heard you're in uni? What are you studying?" Bressie asks the blonde.

"Uh I'm in for music, producer more specifically. I've always been more interested in music, but obviously my career isn't going in that direction right now, but I'd like to have a back up plan," Niall explains to Bressie who nods as he looks a bit impressed. "I'll hopefully be able to graduate next year if all goes well this last year and a half."

"Let's see you're a model, songwriter, singer and you're going to be a music producer? What can't you do?" Laura asks Niall in shock.

"I can't act."

Eoghan and Bressie laugh at Niall's simple response and their waiter arrives with their drinks. An hour later Niall was sitting alone at the table with an empty glass of beer in front of him and his phone right next to it. He wasn't sure where the others had gone, but Laura was probably already puking in the bathroom and it was only a little after eleven.

"Why so lonely?" Bressie asked as he slid into the seat next to Niall and handing him another drink which Niall thanked him for.

"Honestly I'm not even sure why I'm here. I haven't felt like going out much these last few weeks," Niall explained as he looked up at Bressie who nodded in understanding.

"I was actually engaged you know."

"What? Really?" 

"Yeah. We broke things off early last year after nearly five years together. It was difficult and I was very heartbroken. Much like you, I didn't want to go out or anything but it helped to surround myself with friends and to live my life as normal as I could. Eventually it just gets easier and all," Bressie told Niall with a small smile and Niall looked back at the table as he thought over what the older man had said.

"You're right. I've been sad for too long now. You're a great guy, Bress," Niall tells him as he looks up at Bressie who smiles wide before ruffling Niall's hair.

"Come on, let's go dance," Bressie said as he grabbed Niall's hand and dragged him out of their booth and towards the dance floor.

The two dance around for awhile and eventually head back to the table for another drink, but this time around Eoghan arrives with a round of shots.

"Cheers to being single!" He shouted and they all lifted up their glasses and cheered before drinking.

It's late when Niall decides he wants to go home, but he's too drunk and none of his friends are going to let him drive, so Bressie offers to take him.

"Sure you don't mind?" Niall slurs as he looks up at Bressie as they head for the exit.

"I don't mind, mate. Now come on, all I'll need is your address and I'll drop you off safely," Bressie tells the blonde and once they step out, they're greeted by three or four paps and Niall groans, burying his face into Bressie's side. 

"I jus' wanna be normal," Niall cried, words muffled by Bressie's jacket and a few frustrated tears roll down his cheeks.

"Hey, shh, there's nothing wrong with this, yeah?" Bressie tried to comfort the blonde, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Just relax before you puke in front of them."

Niall let out a small drunken giggle and let Bressie lead him towards the parking lot. They get in the car and Bressie has no time to ask for Niall's address because the blonde is fast asleep in the passenger seat and the older man simply shakes his head with a small chuckle and drives off to his place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story is frustrating me, I wrote this chapter like five different times. Niall started his tour and I just wanna say how proud I am and how amazing his songs sound. I'm really pumped for his album!


	4. "forget my number"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall:** Just do me one last favor and forget my number.

//February 15//

Niall woke up feeling quite confused. First of all, he was in a strange room, with a killer headache and very sick to his stomach. He had no idea where he was at though and he kinda really needed the bathroom. He sat up slowly and looked up when the door opened and Bressie walked in with a smirk.

"Need the bathroom?" He asked and Niall nodded.

Bressie helped Niall off the bed and lead him to the bathroom where the blonde quickly knelt down in front of the toilet to throw up every ounce of alcohol in his system. He felt a large hand rubbing his back. Niall groaned and coughed into the toilet a few more times before reaching a shaky hand out to flush the toilet.

"Want water?" Bressie asked.

"Please," Niall whispered and Bressie stood up and left the bathroom while Niall sat leaning against the bathtub with his eyes closed.

Bressie returned a minute later and placed a wet towel on his forehead before handing him a glass of water and two painkillers. Niall gave him a weak thankful smile and took the things.

"Thanks for doing this even though we just met," Niall tells him a bit later as he looked up at Bressie who's leaning against the wall opposite Niall dressed in a simple white t-shirt and plaid pajama pants.

"It's no problem, besides I kinda had too since you fell asleep before you could tell me your address," Bressie jokes and Niall rolls his eyes playfully.

Niall takes a shower at Bressie's a few minutes later when he's sure he won't throw up if he moves even an inch. Afterwards he dresses in one of Bressie's flannel shirts and buttons it up nearly all the way, the shirt being too big on him though but he only smiles. The sleeves go all the way past his fingertips and down to his mid thighs. He wears his same jeans from last night though and then Bressie's dropping him off at his place after politely declining breakfast.

"Thanks again for last night," Niall tells him as he undoes his seatbelt and turns to look at Bressie who shakes his head with a smile on his face.

"It's no problem, lad. And you have my number, so anything you need or whenever you wanna hang out, just give a call," Bressie tells him and Niall nods before he's reaching over to hug the man quickly before pulling back with a blush on his face.

"Bye Bress," Niall says and then quickly gets out and heads up to his apartment.

"You could have at least called me," Shawn tells Niall the second he steps in through the front door and Niall groans as he removes his coat and hangs it up and takes off his shoes.

"Sorry dad," Niall tells him as he walks into the living room and flops down on the couch next to Shawn with a tired groan leaving his lips. "My battery died and I was too sick this morning to even think about calling you."

"Glad to know I'm important to you. Don't worry though, Laura called me last night to say that Bressie was bringing you home, but you never came home. So who's this Bressie guy?" Shawn asked Niall who rolled his eyes and smiled when he saw Trixie walk over to him. "Forget the dog-"

"Don't talk about my baby like that, you little fucker," Niall scolded Shawn who sighed. "Well I got too drunk and I fell asleep in Bressie's car before I could tell him where I lived and so he took me to his place. And Bressie is a friend of Eoghan and Laura, I met him yesterday and he's really nice. He, unlike you, helped me out this morning when I felt like I was dying."

"Well unlike me, he hasn't had to help you out about a dozen times before."

"You're so rude to me," Niall says and then lays down with his head on Shawn's lap.

//February 16//

"When do you start tour rehearsals?" Niall asked Shawn as he copied down some notes he'd missed from one of his lectures.

"Next week. I leave in two days though. I have a meeting in LA with the label, but you'll be coming to the first show, right?" Shawn asks as he watches the blonde scribble down quickly.

"Duh. Wouldn't miss it for the world, mate!"

"So I heard FOUR is performing at the awards next month, how are you feeling?"

"It's whatever. I'm excited to see the other lads though, but I don't feel anything towards seeing Harry again. And I'm presenting the Best Duo/Group of the Year category which surprise surprise, FOUR is nominated. Sandra called me this morning to tell me."

"Tough. Everyone's going to be making a big deal out of this though and you know it."

"I do and that's fine. They can see that despite us breaking up, I'm not going to cause a scandal every time I see him or vent out my feelings and say that I hate him for cheating on me. As long as no one knows the truth, I'm fine," Niall said with a casual shrug. "You are going right?"

"Yeah. Performing as well."

Niall's phone began to go off and he sighed when he saw that it was Laura calling him. Niall let out a soft groan before he answered his phone as Shawn walked off with Trixie following.

"Need something?" Niall asked her.

"Yes, we're going shopping and to get out hair done. You've got a photoshoot next week and I want you to look amazing! Make Tarzan boy regret it all!" She exclaimed excitedly and Niall rolled his eyes fondly.

"Kinda can't, I'm studying right now," Niall tells her and she sighs.

"My precious little bean, I will not take no for an answer, but studying is important so I'll pick you up tomorrow after your classes are over and no buts!"

"Fine. My last class ends at two."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow!"

Niall hung up and went back to his notes. He's startled out of his studying sometime later by his phone notifying him that he has a text. Niall looks down and frowns when he sees that it's from Harry.

 **Harry:** I've waited as long as I could, but honestly Niall, I'm really sorry for what I did. I never meant to hurt you, honestly. I don't even know what I was thinking and I'm not trying to justify my actions, but it'd never been my intention to hurt you.

 **Niall:** Honestly Harry, I don't care about your stupid apologies. Nothing you say will make me crawl back into your arms. Just, please leave me alone. I'm finally happy again

 **Niall:** maybe there's a reason why I still can't delete your number, but whatever that reason is, I don't want you contacting me only to apologize. I don't want to hear what you have to say

 **Harry:** just please Ni, I really fucking miss you

 **Niall:** and I don't care Styles. Go live your life and I'll live mine, if our paths cross again someday, then I hope it'll be a day when I don't hate you as much

 **Niall:** Just do me one last favor and forget my number. I don't want to hear from you

 **Niall:** bye Harry

Niall set his phone down and put his head in his hands. He had no tears to shed, but it still hurt. Day by day he was working on getting Harry completely out of his heart and now that he wasn't completely heartbroken over what happened, he didn't want Harry to ruin things for him again. He's genuinely happy now with his life. He's happy with his career, school, and friends. He's got no more room to cry over Harry, even if he's still madly in love with the man.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

[picture of Niall leaving the club with Bressie]

592 likes

 **NiallNews:** Niall leaving a club with a guy late last night!

View all 52 comments

 **ZiamMyDaddies:** Can we talk about how drunk and happy Niall looks though?

 **LaurensCabello:** that guy is really tall tho, he makes Niall look like a kid, lol

*

//February 18//

[selfie of Niall showing off his new hair]

Liked by shawnmendes, gemmastyles, liampayne and 200,271 others

 **niallhoran:** Decided I needed a change for this new chapter in my life and I must say, lilac colored hair suits me better than blonde ;)

View all 24,182 comments

 **aaliyahmende.s:** I'm loving this new look!!!

 **louist91:** Looking good, Neil!

 **HoranxStyles:** you look so cute, bb!!

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

"I still can't get used to this," says Shawn as he runs his fingers gently through Niall's light purple strands of hair. "But I like it though. Suits you."

"Mm, thanks," Niall says a bit sleepily as he leans further into Shawn's touch. Shawn's sitting on the couch and Niall at the floor by his feet with Trixie curled up fast asleep next to him as the ex-blonde runs his hand through the dog's soft fur. "I didn't want to get it at first, thought it'd be too much of a risk, but I wanted a change and I was like fuck it."

"So have you talked to Bressie?" Shawn asks after awhile and Niall sighs.

"A bit, but we haven't made plans to meet up or anything. And I know I've only see him once, but I kinda like him," Niall confesses to Shawn who has a soft smile on his face, gaze locked on the TV in front of him though he's not really paying attention to whatever soccer game's on. "It sucks to have a crush on someone I've only ever met up with once."

"And while I'm glad that you're crushing on other guys now, I don't want you getting hurt again."

"I know, I'll try not to. And how's it going with Aria?"

"It's not. We went out for Valentine's Day, but it's definitely not going to work out. She's still too hung up on her ex and I realized I don't like her as much as I used to," Shawn explains as he pulls his hand away from Niall's head to run it through his own hair.

"Don't worry mate, I'll introduce you to someone!"

"Fuck no. Besides, I'm working on my second album and I start tour in a few days so please don't. "

Niall rolls his eyes even though Shawn can't see him and he rests his head on the Canadian's thigh.

*

"So you've been good lad?" Louis asks Niall later that day as the two Skype shortly before FOUR's concert.

"Yeah. Doing great in school and I'm genuinely happy now," Niall tells him with a large grin and Louis chuckles.

"Good, my sunshine can only be happy. Any guys you interested in? Must be why you decided to change your hair color right? You want to impress someone?"

"Louis!" Niall whines, cheeks flushed pink. "But there is a guy I like. We met a few days ago, but we've been texting back and forth often and he's a great guy. He's funny and he listens to me when I need to rant over something silly."

"Aww, my baby is growing up. Do you know if he feels the same?" Louis asks curiously, a more fond smile on his face at seeing Niall talk so happily about another guy.

"Don't know. I mean, he's older than me so why would he want to date a kid? Besides, he was engaged to this very beautiful woman, why would he want me?" Niall asks sadly as he casts his gaze down to the keyboard of his laptop.

Louis let's out a small sigh and when Niall looks up, he notices a sad look on his face. If Niall didn't know Louis as well, he would think the older man was pitying him, but if it's one thing Niall's learned about him is that Louis hates it when Niall talks bad about himself. Niall knows Louis hates it when he lowers his own self esteem.

"Babe, why wouldn't he like you? You're so fucking amazing and beautiful. You're so full of talent it's crazy how good you are at different things! And you've got by far the biggest heart I know, lad. I hate that you can't sometimes see all your good qualities," said Louis in a soft yet stern voice, hoping he could make Niall see why he shouldn't bring himself down like that.

"I just- my ex Corey always made me feel like other guys couldn't like me because I wasn't good enough. And that happened years ago and I'd gotten over it, but after what happened with Harry I honestly got to the point where I started to believe Corey again. Harry always said he loved me, but then why did he sleep with Kendall? I asked myself that question day and night for nearly a whole month and I was believing Corey again when I swore to myself I'd never let myself get so low again," Niall explains in a choked up voice, a few tears managing to spill over but he quickly wipes them away.

"Oh babe," Louis whispers sadly as he sniffles, his heart aching at the sight of the broken boy in front of him. "You never told Harry about him, did you?"

"No. I didn't want to bring up old wounds. I decided I wanted to bury that part of my past, after all, it had happened when I was sixteen. When Harry and I went on our first date, I was so fucking terrified he'd see I wasn't worth his time. I was scared to start a new relationship."

"Oh Ni," Louis choked out. He'd always seen Niall so happy, he was like a literal sunshine, but he had no idea his best friend had been hurt so much to the point where he was scared of being with anyone else. Where he thought he wasn't worth it for any guy.

"Anyways, enough of that," Niall says as he wipes his tears away and sits up. "How's the tour been?"

"It's been okay. Zayn and I- we're having some issues and I can't approach him for a decent talk without him screaming at me telling me to leave him alone," Louis explained as he ran a hand through his hair and groaned in frustration.

"Has this been going on for long?"

"Almost since the tour started. He smokes a lot more and goes out to drink and comes back drunk. I'm worried about him, Ni."

"I hope things get better Lou, but maybe Zayn just needs a bit of a break from the stressful life of touring and all that."

"I know, I've thought about that as well."

Niall gave him a soft smile and the two changed topics, steering away from Corey, Harry and Zayn.

*

"Hi Sandra," Niall greets her, answering his manager's call quickly later that day long after his conversation with Louis.

"So I've got your flight booked for Paris on the twentieth and it departs at eight am. You'll be there for approximately three or four days, depending how long the shoot and interviews are. Still don't want to blacklist anything?" She asked Niall.

"Nope, though something tells me not doing that is going to bite me in the ass."

Sandra laughs and Niall heads back to the kitchen though he'd forgotten what he was going to eat.

"Alright then and the awards are on March 21st, but you'll need to be in LA on the 19th. Study the script and all."

"Alright. Thanks Sandra," Niall hung up and let out a sigh.

He definitely was not looking forward to the awards.

//February 19//

Shawn's off in LA now and Niall finds himself feeling lonely in his apartment. Sure he has Trixie, but he'd gotten used to having Shawn around again and their easy banter, that now Niall was literally talking to anything he could. Poor Trixie just looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm so lonely, Trix," Niall sighs as he sits on the living room floor playing with Trixie who ignores him in favor of her favorite chew toy.

Niall sits in silence for a few minutes before his phone goes off and he smiles when he sees that it's Bressie that's calling him.

"Hi chief! What's up?" Niall answers him, leaning back on one hand and watching Trixie walk off now that Niall's attention wasn't on her.

"Are you busy? Heard you're leaving tomorrow and I wanted to see if you wanted to go out for dinner? Get to know each other a bit more," Bressie suggested and Niall's eyes widened a bit and he nodded, forgetting that he was on the phone and Bressie wouldn't be able to see.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan!"

"Perfect. I'll text you the address of the place and we'll meet there say at six?"

"Sounds great, Bress."

"Alright lad, see ya soon!"

Bressie hung up and Niall quickly got up from the floor and raced towards his room to get changed. He changed into some dark colored skinny jeans, his best ones because according to Louis they made his ass look bigger. He then found a light gray button down and brushed his hair so his fringe fell across his forehead. Within the next ten minutes Niall's in his car driving off to the restaurant feeling a bit anxious.

He arrives thirty minutes later, just a minute after six and heads inside the restaurant where he finds Bressie already waiting for him by the entrance.

"Hi," Niall greets him a little breathlessly as he smiles up at Bressie who chuckles lightly.

"Hi," Bressie replies softly, a small smile on his face.

"Mr Breslin, your table is ready," the hostess interrupts their little moment and Bressie nods before the two follow her inside the half packed restaurant to a table for two. "Your waiter will be with you shortly."

Bressie nods in thanks as he helps Niall remove his coat. The two sit down across from each other and look at the menu. Once their waiter comes to take their orders, Bressie and Niall slide into an easy conversation.

"How long will you be gone?" Bressie asks the younger boy who's playing with a napkin.

"Four maybe five days at the most, depends if nothing gets delayed or whatever. I haven't done anything since November, so I'm pretty excited to get back out there and everything," Niall explains with a smile.

"And music? Do you plan on doing stuff?"

"Um, not sure. I mean, I helped Shawn with a song recently and it felt great to be able do it, but I'm not sure. Writing for the band FOUR really helped me gain experience and I'm glad that so many people liked the songs I wrote, but it's pretty scary honestly."

"I'm sure you'd do great if you did decide to write something and sing it."

"I've written stuff these past three months and I've got about two journals of songs filled at home. My ex kinda got me in the habit of carrying a journal around anywhere I go and it's therapeutic on most occasions," Niall tells Bressie, smiling at the waiter when he arrives with their drinks. "Some are too personal though and I'd rather not show anyone."

"Understandable," Bressie tells him as he takes a sip of his coke. "But you're a great singer, I'd love to hear something from you someday."

Niall blushed and thanked him shyly, Bressie's eyes never leaving his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me so long to write this chapter and in the end I decided to just fuck it
> 
> Don't think I've forgotten about Pumpkin and Count On Me, I just haven't been working on them, but I promise to get back on those two as soon as I can :)


	5. "know me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Glad to know that you don't actually know me at all

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//February 20//

[pictures of Harry and Kendall kissing from back in December]

1,102 likes

 **4BandUpdates:** these pictures of Harry and Kendall dating back to December 2 leaked this morning along with a short video. If we can all look back at the timeline, Niall didn't announce their break up until December 20 when he closed down his social media so this kinda proves that Harry cheated on Niall and their "friendly breakup" was merely a lie.

View all 211 comments

 **LaurensCabello:** I've lost some respect for Harry. Niall didn't deserve this and no wonder the poor guy looked so sad :(

 **SarahStylesTommo:** well maybe Narry broke up before then. I just don't think Harry would be capable of cheating on Niall like that. He loved hm a lot and Harry's too nice to do anything bad

 **4BandUpdates:** @SarahStylesTommo then explain that one picture of Niall and Harry walking out of a restaurant holding hands on December 6. Harry definitely cheated and yes, I double checked the dates and pictures. It's shocking, I know, but it happened unfortunately

*

**"Harry Styles cheating on Niall Horan is the real reason behind their breakup"**

_'As shocking as it seems, pictures of Harry Styles and Kendall Jenner kissing leaked this morning proving that Niall Horan and Styles ended their relationship because of infidelity from Styles' part. The pictures were uploaded onto twitter this morning with the caption of "Kendall and Harry on Dec. 2" leaving behind no doubt that the two have been an item for over two months now, the same amount of time since Niall and Harry decided to end their nearly two year relationship...'_

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall had just arrived to his hotel room in Paris when he saw the pictures all over Twitter and he groaned as he glared at the pictures.

"Who in the world leaked these pictures?" Niall wondered out loud to himself as he set his phone down and ran a hand through his hair.

Niall's phone went off and he groaned when he saw that it was Sandra. She had to stay in London to take care of some paperwork but then she'd arrive just before his interview.

"Before you say anything, I didn't do this. I'm not that stupid," Niall tells her quickly.

"And I know that, but Kendall's fans think you did because you're bitter and hurt over the fact that he's with her now," Sandra explains tiredly and Niall can see her pinching the bridge of her nose like she does when she's agitated.

"Well I didn't. I've been MIA since you told me to."

"I know love, but we'll try to solve this during the interview and if that doesn't work then we'll look for a plan b to clear you out from that, yeah? I mean we can obviously play it off as just a leak, but it'll still have people talking and I'm sure Harry's management is working on a solution as well. I'm sorry you have to go through this, love."

"I'll live," Niall sighed tiredly.

After they hung up, Niall went over to the glass double doors and opened them, stepping out into the balcony despite the cold weather. However, his short peaceful time outside is cut short when his cellphone starts going off with a call and he races into the room to see who it is.

"Fuck you," Niall grumbles as he hits decline a little too aggressively.

His phone starts going off again shortly after and Niall has no choice but to answer.

"The fuck do you want?" Niall answers angrily.

"You're the one who leaked those damn pictures? Aren't you?!" Harry asked angrily and Niall chuckled bitterly.

"Glad to know you know me so well," Niall told him, feeling hurt that Harry would think that of him. "No I did not leak those damn pictures. They're not even on my phone anymore, jackass. Besides, why would I want to leak them?"

"To play the victim, why else? You knew damn well that if people found out the truth that they'd obviously take your side in this mess and that's exactly what's happening. Even my fans, Niall, are taking your side and this can hurt the band."

"Well I didn't do it. I was the least interested in people finding out the truth because you know I hate it when people pity me! So stop fucking blaming me for this when I wasn't the only one to have those pics! Someone emailed them to me, Harry! It's obvious someone else was going to have them," Niall argued with Harry, flopping down on his bed and laying on his back.

"Well then why would they release them now?"

"How the fuck should I know? Go figure this out on your own, I'm tired and I don't want to hear from you. But thanks for all the free promo anyways," Niall said and hung up before he burst into tears and covered his face with his hands.

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Glad to know that you don't actually know me at all

*

//February 21//

Today was the interview and Niall was nervous. He's done interviews before, but he's scared he'll mess this one up because of the leaked pictures. Sandra had given him a pep talk during the drive over to where Niall would be interviewed and getting his wardrobe picked for tomorrow's shoot. Basil, Niall's bodyguard, had also given him a reassuring smile and Niall was very thankful in having the two by his side.

"Alright, just relax yeah? You know I'll step in if the questions get too rough and you've got nothing to worry about," Sandra reassured the still purple haired boy as they walked inside the building.

"Yeah, okay," Niall said softly as he shoved his cold hands deep into his jacket.

"Hello!" A lady, who looked to be in her early twenties and with slightly dark skin greeted them brightly as she walked over to them. "Niall, it's nice to meet you. I'm Aimée and I'll be helping you around for the next few days."

"Nice to meet you too," Niall told her politely as he smiled at her.

"If you'll follow me, I'll lead you up to where you'll be interviewed and as usual, it'll be recorded on video to be put up on our website later on."

Niall nodded and him and Sandra followed her to the elevator where they headed up to the fourth floor. Aimée then opened some dark wood double doors and lead them into a large room with floor to ceiling windows giving a beautiful view of the city and decorated with great taste. The color scheme was in shades of blue and grays.

"Jacqueline will be in shortly, so make yourselves comfortable. Can I get you two anything? Coffee? Water?" Aimée offered the two as she motioned a hand to where the couches were.

"Um no thanks," Niall told her.

"Coffee please, sweetheart. No milk and two of sugar," Sandra told the girl who nodded and walked off happily.

"I feel just as nervous as when I visit my doctor and she tells me to cut back on the beer," Niall mumbles at her and Sandra laughs.

"Just relax, you know they only find more ways to find things out when you're not confident about this. They use your nervousness to an advantage."

Niall nodded and removed his jacket and scarf, leaving on the beanie covering the mess he called his hair. He'd woken up late, surprise surprise.

Aimée returned with Sandra's coffee and then another lady walked in. She was dressed in a pink pencil skirt and a white buttoned down blouse. Her strawberry blonde hair was done in soft waves and reached down to her shoulders.

"Hi, I'm Jacqueline, but you can call me Jackie," she introduced herself and Niall and Sandra both stood up to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Niall told her with a smile.

"Alright so the interview shouldn't take more than an hour, but you're familiar with the process so I'll skip that. If you don't feel comfortable answering something, feel free to tell me and we'll skip over it. And if you don't mind, Martin, another one of our interviewers will be joining us. He's in need of more experience," Jacqueline told them and made a face that made Niall laugh.

"It's no problem."

"Alright perfect. I'll just grab my notes real quick and see what's taking Martin so long."

*

Niall would like to think they're halfway done with the interview, mainly because he can't stand Martin. The guy, who not only is a creep and keeps giving Niall flirty stares, keeps asking him questions that Niall most definitely isn't comfortable answering. They haven't asked about the current scandal, but it won't be long. Niall's sure of it.

"It hasn't been long since you and Harry Styles called it quits, has it been a hard process from then until now?" Jacqueline asked Niall with a soft smile on her face.

"It definitely hasn't been easy, but it's gotten better now. The first few days/weeks I struggled and I'm not ashamed to admit that. We've all gone through heartbreak and it's a horrible thing to go through, but I'm happy now. I really am and surrounding yourself with friends and people you love really helps," Niall answers honestly, though he's getting slightly anxious and Martin looks at him like he knows something that Niall doesn't.

"You'd both said that you ended your relationship on friendly terms and that it happened because you grew apart, but now it's been revealed that he cheated on you with Kendall Jenner. Why lie about it?" Martin asked Niall and Jacqueline turned to glare at him while Niall scoffed.

"Because it wasn't of anybody's business to know the truth. There's this thing called privacy and we weren't about to share the world our secrets. There's a lot of things that happened between us or that I've gone through that I won't share with the public. And it's unfortunate that some people don't know what privacy is and decided that it'd be a good idea to leak those pictures," Niall replied angrily, seeing Sandra's angry expression from behind the two interviewers.

"And I must imagine you hate Harry and Kendall over what happened, right?"

"No, I definitely don't. And excuse me for being rude, but this is really none of your concern and I'm damn sure the public doesn't want to know every little detail of what happened the last two months of my relationship with Harry. And all I'm going to say is that Harry is a very nice lad and he's got a heart of gold and I've got nothing but respect for him," Niall told Martin who rolled his eyes as if he couldn't believe Niall.

"Oh please. Just admit he hurt you and you were doing terribly because of him. We all saw those pictures Niall, you were a wreck. Stop being nice just to sell your image."

"Martin," Jacqueline hissed but her co-worker ignored her as he taunted Niall with that stupid smirk.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I'm not going to right out say I hate Harry and I was a fucking mess that I stopped functioning like a proper human. I let myself get that way because of work. I overworked myself last year and breaking up with Harry had nothing to do with that!" Niall shouted at Martin angrily.

"Excuse me, but we're done here. We came here for my client to do an interview, not get interrogated by some asshole who only wants to stir up drama," Sandra said as she walked over to Niall. "We're leaving. And the photoshoot will be on standby."

"I am so sorry for this," Jacqueline told the two as she stood up and walked them to the door. "I don't know what got into him. He started working here two weeks ago and so far he's been amazing in his past interviews, he probably just got caught up with wanting to have something juicy. We could postpone all this and have you come in next month if you want."

"I-I'll do the shoot. As long as I don't have to see him again," Niall tells Jacqueline who let's out a sigh of relief.

"I promise that he won't and we can conclude the interview tomorrow in between takes if you want."

"Thank you."

Aimée walked over and smiled at Sandra and Niall before leading them towards the elevators. Sandra was typing furiously on her phone, probably getting in touch with the rest of the team in charge of helping Niall in his career.

Eventually Niall is back in his hotel room and even though it's past dinner time, Niall can't bring himself to be hungry. He's still so mad and he's worried about what happened.

Not blacklisting any questions from the interview certainly came back to bite him in the ass.

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Unbelievable how unprofessional some people are

*

//February 22//

Niall arrives on set at eight in the morning with slight dark circles under his eyes and only gets a disapproving look from the make up artist, but he's too tired to care. Everything's a mess and Niall's got a feeling it's only bound to get worse.

"Alright love, your first three outfit changes are these right here and afterwards you'll continue with the interview with Jacqueline. Hopefully things will go a lot smoother," Aimée tells Niall who let's out a soft chuckle.

She left the room and Niall wondered how the hell women could walk in those big ass heels. Niall grabbed the first change of clothes and began to undress himself quickly.

*

Three change of clothes and about a billion pictures later, Niall was with Jacqueline to finish the interview, but really, he was tired and his heart wasn't in it anymore. He just wanted to go home and let Sandra fix this mess herself.

"Are you just going to focus on your career as a model or will you be doing more with music?" Jacqueline asked as she looked at Niall who was wrapped in a blanket because the set was so cold and he wasn't wearing much clothes to keep him warm.

"Um I've never really thought about doing more with music, even though I am studying something music related, but we'll see. I'm not really sure though, maybe sometime in the future I'll get the courage to do so again," Niall replies honestly and she smiles.

It was really late when Niall got back to his hotel room and his feet were aching from being up all day and all he wanted was a hot bath and then crawl into bed. But then his phone started going off and he saw that Shawn was calling him.

"Hi," Niall answered him tiredly as he laid back on his bed.

"It's not too late over there, right?" Shawn asked worriedly.

"No, it's about to be ten at night, but I just got back from the shoot. What's up?"

"How was the interview? I couldn't call you yesterday and with the leaked pictures, well kinda worried here."

"Well it was shit. There was this one guy named Martin who kept bringing that shit up and why we lied about our breakup and whatever. He tried getting me to say that I hate Harry and Kendall."

"I'm sorry you're going through this, Ni."

"We're just worried this guy will sell this to someone else and make it into an even bigger mess."

"Well let's hope not or Sandra will explode."

Niall laughed. The two talked for a bit more until they said their goodbyes and Niall decided to go take a shower.

//February 24//

Niall's back home now and so far everything's been quiet. And by quiet he means that Martin hasn't said anything about the interview because the media is still going at it with the Hendall pictures.

"Hiya precious bean!" Laura greets him as she walks out of his kitchen.

"Didn't think I'd find you here," Niall tells her as he sits on his couch tiredly.

"Eoghan and Bressie are on their way. They're bringing dinner," she tells him as she goes to sit next to him.

"You guys are fucking life savers. Where's Trixie?"

"Asleep in your room. Your dog sleeps too much and she doesn't like me very well. She only likes me when I feed her or take her for a walk," Laura huffed out and Niall laughed.

"Well it's cause she hasn't been around you very much," Niall informs her and she simply shakes her head.

"Well she liked Eoghan and Bressie when she met them a few days ago."

"Maybe she doesn't like you because you're a girl."

"Oh well I'm sorry for being a female."

The doorbell went off and Niall walked over to open it, smiling at the two men standing there arguing over something.

"Are you ladies done?" Niall teased them with a smirk. "Or would you like to stay out there all night?"

"Better than seeing your ugly face," Eoghan joked as he pulled Niall into a hug. "Hope you had a splendid time in Paris."

"Didn't bring you anything," Niall says and Bressie laughs as Eoghan scoffs and pushes his way into the apartment with bags of takeout food.

"Missed ya," Bressie says softly as he pulls Niall into a hug.

"Missed you too," Niall answers just as soft as he closes his eyes and inhales Bressie's scent.

They pulled away and headed inside where Eoghan and Laura were at the dinner table pulling out the containers of food. Trixie walked out of Niall's room and immediately ran over to Niall who knelt down on one knee and began to cuddle her.

"Hi sweetie! I missed you so much," Niall tells her and Eoghan and Laura snicker. "Hope Laura treated you good."

"Glad to know a dog means more than us," Eoghan tells Niall who huffs as he stands up and heads over to the table and sits next to Bressie.

"She's my baby, and I hate leaving her when I know I'll have to give her back in a few months," Niall explains a bit sadly.

"So what's the situation then? Like do you guys have some sort of custody agreement?" Laura asks Niall as she walks out of the kitchen with beers.

"I guess so, we've never discussed it. I gave Trixie to Harry as a present so technically she's his, but I get her when he's out of the country on tour or whatever the hell he's doing," Niall says with a shrug as he grabs some chopsticks from the middle of the table where Eoghan had placed them. "His sister agreed to bring her over and take her back so I don't have to interact with him."

"Breaking up with someone is so complicated, that's why I'd rather stay single," Laura says as she takes a sip of her beer.

"You're single because no guy in their right mind would want to go out with you," Eoghan tells her and she flips him off which only makes Niall laugh and shake his head.

"No, I'm single because guys are assholes, just like you."

"So how was Paris?" Bressie asks Niall, changing topics so Eoghan and Laura don't end up in an argument.

"Paris was lovely, it's what happened in Paris that makes me want to yank my hair out. The guy who was helping with the interview asked me about the pictures and long story short, I'm just waiting for it all to go off a second time and make this mess even bigger. Curse the day I ever met Harry Styles," Niall says bitterly as he struggles to pick up some noodles with his chopsticks.

"Damn Ni, that bad?" Laura asks her friend with a frown because if it's one thing she truly knows about Niall is how much he loved, scratch that, _still_ loves Harry.

Bressie places a hand on Niall's back and rubs it gently which makes Niall calm down almost instantly.

*

"How are you really?" Bressie asks Niall later that night, long after Laura and Eoghan left and they each have three empty beer bottles by their sides.

"I've been better. Don't think I've ever been this stressed when it's not school related," Niall says as he looked over at Bressie who's staring at a picture of Niall and Shawn hanging on the wall across from them. "I had an argument with Harry the day the pictures leaked and he accused me of leaking the pictures and it really hurt. A lot. I don't know if he's just looking for someone to blame or if he genuinely thinks I'd leak them, but it hurts to know that he apparently doesn't know me well enough. I've always got a thing for picking assholes as boyfriends."

Bressie chuckled and ruffled Niall's hair.

Niall simply leaned against his friend and let out a tired sigh as he stared forward with Harry racing through his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss writing about Narry being together :(  
> Might end up doing a time skip within the next few chapters


	6. "any bigger"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **shawnmendes:** I didn't think his head could get any bigger, but I was proven wrong

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//February 25//

[picture of 16 year old Niall with his ex]

916 likes

 **NiallNews:** Don't know where these pictures are coming from honestly, but please have some respect and don't go bothering Niall about who the other guy is.

*

DM between **niallhoran** and _NiallNews_

 **niallhoran:** Hi! I appreciate all of your support through the years and you're an amazing account, but I would like to know where you got that picture of me and the guy.

 _NiallNews:_ oh my gosh!! Hi Niall!!

 _NiallNews:_ We got the picture through a private message on Instagram with a werid username and they just said that it was you at age sixteen with some guy named Corey, but we decided to keep the name private

 **niallhoran:** oh, well that's strange. Do you think you could give me the username?

 _NiallNews:_ We would, but they deactivated their account and their username consisted of a bunch of numbers and letters. Sorry. We could take it down if you want

 **niallhoran:** Oh well thanks and you don't have to, but I'd really appreciate it if you kept the name of the other guy to yourself.

 _NiallNews:_ No worries Niall, we won't say anything

//February 27//

**"I've been a mess since it happened," Niall Horan speaks up about his breakup with Harry Styles**

_'For the first time, Niall Horan speaks up about how he's been since his breakup with Harry Styles, which we now know happened because Styles cheated on him with Kendall Jenner. "I've been a mess since it happened. I haven't been okay and people have seen it through pictures and all," says Niall, 21, during his first interview since November of last year. He also admits that during these difficult few months he's been battling depression. "Funny how you can go from loving someone so much to hating them within the blink of an eye. I've just had the worst luck when it comes to dating and the first time I got my heart broken was when I was sixteen..."'_

*

 **Pop Culture @PopCNews:** Read all about how Niall Horan has struggled through his break up in our exclusive interview! [link]

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** @PopCNews I never gave you an interview and that article is a load of bull because I never said those things.

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** @PopCNews I was interviewed by another magazine where your interviewer has no sense of privacy.

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Guys, please don't believe that article! I'm not depressed and I've got nothing but respect for Harry. He's an amazing guy, honestly!!

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** and I have no clue where the hell they got that thing about my ex, they've really got no idea what privacy is

*

TRENDING

#RespectNiallsPrivacy  
Niall Horan

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** I'm not surprised @PopCNews did this. They're honestly so disgusting and disrespectful, don't know how they're still relevant

 **belle âme Mag @belleame_:** @NiallOfficial REAL interview will be out next week in our new issue along with a video of the real deal, don't worry ;)

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

"This is so fucking stressful!" Niall growled angrily as he paced Sandra's office back and forth.

"I know love, we're looking for a solution to this mess," Sandra reassures the blonde again boy.

"And worst of all, I don't know where those pictures of me from years ago with my ex are coming from and I'm a little frightened that that article even mentions my ex, not by name or anything, but still. It's like my past is coming out to haunt me and it's working!"

Sandra gave him a reassuring smile and Niall took a seat in front of her.

"Thankfully that article received so much backlash, no other media is picking it up. They are however, starting to question who that ex of yours is, especially with pictures being out and everything. I know you've told me that's something you don't ever want to speak about but-"

"No Sandra, I can't do that. I can't speak about him as if he were just any normal ex. He got a five year restraining order, which- oh no," Niall says and Sandra watches as he gets paler.

"Niall?" She questions worriedly, getting up quickly and going over to his side.

"The five years are up in March," he explains as he looks at his manager whose mouth opens a bit in shock.

"Maybe we should get you more security then."

"I-I'll be fine. Besides, I'm going to New York in a few days to be with Shawn and then we're heading off to LA so I won't be around much. Hopefully it's just my paranoia and he doesn't have anything to do with this."

"If you're sure, but I don't want you to risk yourself, Nialler."

"I'll be fine," Niall told her with a fake smile, but honestly, he was terrified.

Heading home takes a bit longer than usual. Niall's on high alert as he looks around, really hoping he doesn't see that familiar face from his nightmares. As he heads inside his apartment building though, he can't help but feel like he's being watched.

//March 2//

It'd been quiet since that fake interview had been released and no new drama had popped up, but Niall still couldn't be at ease. He had an ex out there whose restraining order would be up in a matter of days now.

"Niall," someone called him and he jumped, turning to face the person with his heart beating wildly in his chest, only to sigh in relief when he saw that it wasn't Corey.

"Oh hey, Adam, what's up?" Niall asked him, trying to sound as normal as he could.

"Haven't seen you around much, you been okay?" Adam asks him worriedly.

"It's been hell these last few days, but yeah I'm okay. The real interview will be out soon so that'll get some people off my back and I'm heading off to see my best friend, relax a bit and just get away from all the shit that's been going on."

"Well I hope everything works out okay."

"I'm positive things will clear up soon. Walk me to class?" Niall asks Adam in a soft tone as he smiles up at him.

"My pleasure," Adam responds as he offers his arm to Niall who quickly loops his arm around his and they begin to walk off together, laughing as they tell each other jokes.

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~ ~ ~**

"Poor Ni," Harry sighs as he exits out of twitter.

"Tell me about it, this is seriously getting out of hand," Liam says from where he's sitting across from him in their hotel room, getting ready to leave for their final show in Japan before they head off to Singapore.

"You gonna do anything about it?" Louis questions and Zayn (for once he's actually not high nor hungover) nudges Louis' side but there's a small smile forming on his face as he stares at Louis lovingly.

"I can't say nor do anything about this without making it bigger than it already is. Besides, Niall's already going through so much, I'm the last person he'd want to defend him."

"True," Zayn mumbled playfully and Louis rolled his eyes as he cuddled into his side.

Harry's phone started to go off and he groaned when he saw that it was Kendall. He got up and walked out of Liam's room and to his to take the call.

"What," he answered her in annoyance.

"Are you just going to sit around and let that little bitch talk about us like that?!" Kendall asked him angrily and Harry only banged his head against the hotel room door a few times.

"First, don't call him that. Actually, just don't even talk about him because all you say are awful things and I'm sick tired of hearing you talk to him like trash. Second of all, I know Niall like the palm of my hand and he never in a million years would say anything like that. If anything, I should be defending him from this mess," Harry told her angrily as he began to pace.

"Stop defending him! I'm your girlfriend, Harry! You should be defending me!"

"I defend him because I love him and I always will. What happened between us is a mistake. I should have never gone after you after my break up with Niall. I was vulnerable and I honestly don't know what I was thinking, but we're done. I don't want you in my life and I need you away from Niall as well. If you ever talk bad about him again, then I won't hesitate to spill your secrets. We clear?"

Kendall just huffed and hung up, making Harry let out a sigh of relief. He smiled wide before he exited his room and headed back into Liam's.

"Someone's happy," Louis commented.

"Broke things off with Kendall and I feel so free," Harry told them as he plopped back down on his previous spot and the others cheered.

"Took you long enough, mate! Now what? You gonna win Niall back?"

"I would, but he made it real clear he doesn't want to see me," Harry says sadly as he looks down at his lap and suddenly they're all sitting next to him. "I messed up and I've regretted it every day since it happened."

"You know Niall loves you a whole lot and it's crazy how much you two loved each other, I'm sure if you give him enough time than you can start by working on getting his trust back, little by little," Liam tells Harry softly as he rubs his back. "He forgave us."

"Yeah, but you guys didn't cheat on him more than once."

"Sure felt like it," Louis mumbled and hissed when Zayn pinched his side. "Look, Niall's a great lad, but give him his space and stay away from doing things that will hurt him. Like getting back with Kendall or dating some other girl."

"I promise." Harry chuckled.

There was a knock on the hotel door that startled them all and they took that as their cue to leave.

The whole drive to the venue, Harry couldn't stop looking at pictures of Niall and it made the ache in his chest so much worse. Suddenly a familiar tattooed wrist reached over and took the phone away from him. He looked up only to see Louis' sad blue eyes looking at him.

"Don't torture yourself like this," he says softly as he turns the phone off and hands it back to Harry.

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//March 3//

Niall lands at JFK sometime after dinner time and he's starving. The food on planes is never any good and he hadn't actually eaten much since he'd been feeling kinda sick because of a headache he'd been sporting almost since he left for Heathrow. He's just glad to be getting away from everything for awhile. He'd be joining Shawn on tour for the first three dates, then they'd head off to LA and then he'd head home to focus on school.

"I hate you, honestly," Niall grumbles as he walks up to Shawn once he spots him and wraps his arms around the taller lad and hugs him tight, closing his eyes as he tucks his face into Shawn's neck.

"I love you too," Shawn says with a laugh as he hugs Niall tightly. "Have a nice flight?"

"Probably one of the worst ones I've ever had, but sure, whatever floats your boat buddy," Niall says as he pulls away with a smirk on his tired face.

Shawn simply rolls his eyes as he takes Niall's heavier bag and carries it out for him. There's a driver waiting for them in a black Range Rover because everyone seems to have one these days. Niall gets in the backseat with Shawn after they settle his things in the trunk and they're off to the hotel.

"How have you been? It's been crazy," Shawn asks Niall worriedly, watching as the blonde stares out the window as building after building passes by.

Niall's been to New York four times now, but it never ceases to amaze him how big and beautiful the city is. The last time he'd been there, Harry and him had spent a small holiday just relaxing and doing a bit of sightseeing.

Taking a deep breath, Niall answers with, "It has been crazy. Haven't been able to sleep much, especially knowing his restraining order is up soon. It's like every bad thing is coming onto me at once and I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm starting to crack under all this pressure."

"Maybe you should step back, you know? Just focus on school for now," Shawn suggests worriedly. "I'm sorry you have to go through all of this, especially with me not being able to be there for you."

"Don't be ridiculous, mate. Now tell me, you ready for your first concert?" Niall asked, quickly changing topics.

"No. I'm so nervous. We've been in rehearsals these last few days and we start practicing in the actual venue tomorrow."

"You're gonna do good," Niall reassured him with a smile.

They're at the hotel later that day with Niall laying on Shawn's bed and the Canadian lad on the phone with Aria discussing his agenda for the next day. Niall's scrolling through his twitter hoping things didn't somehow get worse, but it's quiet again and Niall doesn't know if that's worst than there actually being something or not.

"Wanna go out for dinner? It's late and you must be starving," Shawn says as he grabs his jacket.

"I'm just thankful you're not my boyfriend, I'd be dead by now," Niall grumbles as he gets off the bed and follows Shawn out the room.

"Piss off, mate."

Niall laughed and the two walked towards the elevator with Shawn's bodyguard following. The streets of New York are cold and traffic filled. There's a lot of people walking around and cars moving slowly as they wait, beeping being heard here and there.

"What are you in the mood for?" Shawn asks the blonde as they settle in the backseat of his rental car.

"Honestly? Even McDonald's at this point," Niall told Shawn who chuckled and shook his head. "You can pick, I don't mind."

"Hmm, very well."

They end up going to a Thai food restaurant not far from their hotel and are glad to find that there aren't a lot of people inside. The workers smile at the two and offer them friendly service, not bothering them much as they ate.

"Anything interesting happen between you and Aria?" Niall asks as focuses on a piece of shrimp he'd stolen from Shawn's plate.

"She wants to quit," Shawn says with a sigh and Niall freezes as he drops his shrimp into his rice and looks up at him.

"What? Why?"

"Said something about wanting to go back to school. Said she doesn't want to be an assistant forever."

"That's awful, mate. You gonna look for a new one?"

"Don't know. She said that she'd warn me in July so I can have time to look for someone else before the next school year starts."

"Well if you don't find one, I'm always available," Niall tells him as he grins at Shawn who laughs and shakes his head.

"You'd be a terrible one, but I'll keep that in mind. I'll keep you as my last option," Shawn teases the blonde who feigns being hurt with a hand over his chest and eyes wide in a comical way.

"You asshole. I should be at the top!" Niall exclaims a little loudly, but not like he cares.

"As if. How are you even allowed to miss so much school?" Shawn questions the blonde who shrugs.

"Most of my classes are online now and I've got friends that send me the notes and keep me up to date. Besides, I've got some pretty good grades this year."

After dinner, they head back to the hotel where Niall calls it a night and takes a shower to relieve his aching bones.

//March 4//

They're at the venue for tomorrow's show and Niall is sitting in the audience with Aria as Shawn and his band get ready to start rehearsals.

"So Shawn told me you're planning on quitting," Niall starts as he looks over at Aria who's putting her hair up in a bun.

"Shawn's a great guy, but I'm not looking for more. Anyone would be lucky to date him," Aria tells Niall who smiles softly as he looks up at his best friend who's talking to his drummer.

"But?" Niall questioned her. "Why are you running?"

"I'm not running. I just honestly don't want to do this for the rest of my life. Sure traveling and seeing new places is amazing, but I get tired of being away from home. My sister just had her baby and I've only seen pictures and videos. I wanna meet him and I don't wanna miss out on more. I don't know how you guys do it, but this isn't what I want."

"I understand. I really do. It's a difficult job and if this isn't what you want, then that's okay. I would eventually like to settle down as well. Have a family of my own and I don't want to do this forever either."

"You and Shawn are really one of the most amazing people I've met. I'm lucky to call you guys my friends," Aria says honestly as she smiles over at Niall who smiles back at her. "Why haven't you and Shawn ever give each other a try? Friendship is always important in a relationship."

Niall giggled and shook his head.

"No. He's a great guy and all, but definitely not. He's like my brother and we grew up together and while that would certainly make our families happy, we couldn't do that. I know his fans keep thinking that we've been together since forever, but I'd rather not cross that bridge. Besides, if he actually were my boyfriend, he'd be a shitty one," Niall tells her and Aria giggled as the two look up at Shawn who's glaring at them.

After they're done with rehearsals, Shawn and Niall decide to walk around New York for a bit. Mainly because Niall wanted to do some shopping and so he dragged Shawn along even though the Canadian lad was complaining about being tired.

"You seriously don't need anymore clothes. I've seen your closet at home, I don't think you can fit anymore," Shawn says as they walk out of one store with two bags in each of Niall's hands.

"Well most of that stuff is going away. It's good to change your wardrobe every once in awhile you know?" Niall explains with a slight scoff that makes Shawn roll his eyes.

"Whatever you say, kid."

As they walk down the street, Shawn is busy sending a text to his mom when he hears Niall gasp. He looks up at the blonde with worry written across his features, but instead of seeing anything worth worrying over, he finds Niall staring up at something with wide eyes.

"What-?" Shawn begins as he looks up and that's when he sees it.

It's a store called 'Space ALIEN' that has a poster up on their window of Niall in their signature galaxy colored hoodie with tiny spaceships and stars. It's the same clothing line that Niall first modeled for with Lottie Tomlinson.

"You didn't know about this?" Shawn questions the blonde who looks like a kid at Christmas.

"Well, the pictures weren't meant to be out until next month. Come on!" Niall exclaims as he grabs Shawn's hand and drags him inside the store.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

**Niall Updates @Nialler_Updates:** Niall and Shawn out in NYC today!! [img attached]

*

[picture of Niall staring at his poster]

Liked by louist91, camila_cabello, haileesteinfeld and 705,627 others

 **shawnmendes:** I didn't think his head could get any bigger, but I was proven wrong

View all 33,103 comments

 **louist91:** that's sick mate! Very proud of my sunshine!!

 **niallhoran:** asshole, see if I ever do anything nice for you again

 **irishbunny:** I feel like a proud mama !!

*

_Niall Horan liked your tweet_

**queen @selenamyangel:** walked into my favorite shop and I saw my baby @NiallOfficial I feel so proud! [img attached]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda really wanna write a Ziall story, but I'm filled with story drafts on my drive and wattpad


	7. "same room"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Shawn Mendes @ShawnMendes:** @NiallOfficial @Louis_Tomlinson We're in the same room, STOP TWEETING EACH OTHER!!!!!

//March 19//

Landing at LAX is a bit of a mess. First of all, Niall flew in with Shawn so a few of his fans greeted them. Second, the paps were all waiting outside since all the celebrities attending the awards were arriving that day. Third, Niall saw a glimpse of Harry's back and he really hoped they didn't run into each other.

"Should have known Sandra would book my flight during rush hour," Niall grumbled moodily as they waited around for their bags and Shawn chuckled.

"It's called promo, Niall," Shawn reminds him as he reaches over to grab Niall's bag and then his. "It'll be good for Sunday night, but yeah we could have gone without landing during the circus hour."

Niall laughed and the two waited for a bit to get the okay from Shawn's bodyguard and Basil so they could go. Apparently their ride still wasn't there and well they couldn't exactly wait around outside until it arrived.

"Come on," Shawn said as he grabbed Niall's hand and began to tug him.

"Where are we going?" Niall wondered as he gripped Shawn's hand.

"To greet some fans, poor things must have been waiting for awhile now."

Niall sighed but let Shawn tug him towards the screaming girls being barricaded by a rope. They only screamed louder when Shawn and him approached them and Niall winced, waving at the girls with his free hand. Shawn let go of his hand as he began to sign autographs and take pictures. Niall signed a few things as well and talked with some girls who didn't even spare a glance at Shawn which baffled Niall. Awhile later Basil and John, Shawn's bodyguard, walked over to the two telling them that their ride was there.

"Finally," Niall sighed tiredly and the four began to head towards the doors.

"Alright, stay close and don't answer any questions," Basil instructed them and Niall nodded.

Camera flashes went off and Niall offered the paps a small smile as him and Shawn were escorted towards the black SUV waiting for them. John climbed in the passenger seat and Basil in the back with them.

"Do we have anything to do today?" Niall asked their two bodyguards.

"Shawn's got some radio interviews lined up, but other than that, no," John replied as he turned to look at them with a smile.

 **Louis:** Neil, are you in LA yet?

 **Niall:** yes, we're on our way to the hotel now

 **Louis:** let's have dinner! All of us minus Harold of course

 **Niall:** sounds like a plan!

 **Niall:** can't wait to see you guys

 **Louis:** me neither :)

"We're having dinner with the boys," Niall informs Shawn as he sets his phone down.

"The boys? I'm guessing not, you know..." Shawn trails off as he looks over at Niall.

"No, not frog boy."

Shawn nods and the rest of the car ride is silent. Niall drifts off a few times and is startled awake by Shawn who pokes his side to signal him that they arrived at their hotel. Basil and John get out of the SUV first and signal the other two to come out. Their hotel isn't far from The Forum, where the awards were being held on Sunday and also where over half the famous people attending the show were staying in.

Once in his room, Niall took a short nap before being startled awake two hours later to his phone going off.

"What," Niall mumbled tiredly, not even having been bothered to check who was calling him.

"Oi, Neil! We're getting In-N-Out for dinner, so give me your order and then come meet us in my room!" Louis shouted and Niall groaned tiredly. He honestly just wanted to sleep.

"A cheeseburger with fries and a strawberry milkshake. Call me when the food arrives," Niall says, eyes still closed as he lays on his side with his phone on his face not even holding it.

"No, get your ass over here now. Shawn is here already."

"Fine, just what floor are you guys on? And room number."

"Floor seventeen and room number 1706. Hurry lad!"

Niall hangs up and it's nearly ten minutes later until he decides to get out of bed and wash his face. He's wearing the flannel shirt he stole off of Bressie and a white t-shirt underneath with gray joggers. He grabs his phone and key card before heading out towards the elevators. Niall headed down two floors to reach the one where FOUR were staying in and he didn't even get a chance to knock before the door was opening to reveal Louis with a large grin.

"Sunshine!" He exclaimed happily as he pulled Niall into a tight hug, tucking his face into the crook of Niall's neck.

"Hi Lou," Niall says a bit softer with a smile and closing his eyes as he hugs Louis just as tight, having missed the older lad an awful lot. "Gosh, I'm so happy to see you again. Been so long."

"I know lad, I know," Louis mumbles into his shoulder before they both pull away, Louis cupping his face and staring into Niall's blue eyes. "Been okay? You know since our talk."

"Very okay. It actually helped to talk to someone else about it. I don't like bringing it up around Shawn. Kinda really regret not having told frog boy."

"Well you had your reasons, Neil and you can always talk to me about it, yeah? I'm here for you."

Niall nods and the two get pulled into Louis' room by Zayn who's grinning like mad as he pulls the blonde out of Louis' hold and hugs him tight. Niall giggles and melts into Zayn's arms.

"Missed ya, babes!" Zayn says as he pulls back and smacks a kiss to Niall's right cheek.

"Missed ya too, weirdo," Niall laughs and then goes over to hug Liam who hugs him much softer than the others, but he still melts into his arms because if it's one thing Niall's missed, it's Liam's hugs. They always make him feel all warm and happy, kinda like he's cuddling his favorite stuffed animal. "Hi Payno."

"Hi, Nialler. We've really missed you," he says as he pulls away to look at Niall with slightly guilty brown eyes and Niall shakes his head as he reads into his look.

"You know I've got no hard feelings over that. He's your best friend and I get that you didn't want either of us to get hurt. Just, the shock of the moment but I'm okay now," Niall tells him as he hugs Liam again, not wanting to see him with that kicked puppy look.

After hugs and all, Niall heads further into Louis and Zayn's room where he finds Shawn sitting on one of the couches playing on his phone. Niall goes over to his best friend and sits next to him, nearly on top of the Canadian lad who only groans and tries to shove him away playfully.

"Food should be here soon, Preston got himself in a bit of traffic," Louis explains as he sits with Zayn on the ground and Liam on the other couch. "So excited for Sunday?"

"Nope," Niall replies honestly though there's a smile on his face.

"Don't think I'll ever be ready performing at award shows," Shawn says next as he feels Niall move away a bit so they're not so on top of each other.

"Amen to that, mate," Zayn speaks up next as he nods at Shawn's words. "What category are you presenting, Ni?"

"Best Duo/Group of the Year."

"Ah, makes sense. Of course the producers would want to raise their ratings a bit. You gonna be okay with that? I mean, we're not sure we're winning, but if we do then-" Louis trails off, not wanting to right out mention Harry since so far Niall has only referred to him as frog boy.

"I'll be okay. Actually, I'll be more than okay. I've moved on past the initial stages of heartbreak and hate. Guess I'm more into the I'm-over-it stage."

Shawn looks over at his best friend proudly since he was the one to help Niall piece himself back together most of the time. He saw the blonde at his lowest points and he was just glad to see him so happy now and not scared by the fact that he would be in the same room as Harry Styles this weekend.

"What a lad," Louis tells him with a grin.

They talk about their shows before Preston arrives with all their food and they all sit on the ground to eat it. The floor quickly fills up with empty bags and napkins.

"Neil, I've got a complaint!" Louis suddenly shouts as he sets down his burger and wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Well actually we all do."

"Um okay?" Niall questions him a little unsurely and with furrowed brows. "What is it?"

"You haven't followed us back on social media."

Louis pouts and Niall laughs and shakes his head as he takes his phone out and going on Instagram first.

"You are such a child," Niall tells him as he follows Louis first, then Liam and then Zayn. He moves onto Twitter next and does the same and his smile falters a bit as he sees Harry's name in his who to follow list, fingers hovering over it before he exits out of his app and sets his phone aside. "Satisfied?"

"Very. Thanks love," Louis says as he grabs his phone.

*

 **Louis Tomlinson @Louis_Tomlinson:** akjshfkajn my fav just followed me !! Thanska you @NiallOfficial

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** @Louis_Tomlinson Oi watch it mate, I can hit that unfollow button again

 **Shawn Mendes @ShawnMendes:** @NiallOfficial @Louis_Tomlinson We're in the same room, STOP TWEETING EACH OTHER!!!!!

*

"You little shit," Louis tells him as he sticks his tongue out at Shawn who in return throws a half eaten fry at him.

Liam and Zayn sigh while Niall, Louis and Shawn start arguing about something they don't really care about.

"Niall," Liam says awhile later after they're done eating. "I talked to... you know, and he says he's okay with that."

"Oh my gosh, really?!" Niall exclaims in surprise and Liam smiles and nods.

"Yep. Said you can go in once your classes end and he'd gladly let you work around during the summer and to not worry about your other gigs. He also said to give him a call to talk out the details," Liam explained, leaving the other three in the dark while Niall squealed excitedly before he practically launched himself onto Liam's lap to hug him tight.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Niall chanted and again his excitement got the best of him and he planted a kiss onto Liam's lips. It was quick and closed mouth, just like with Shawn, but it left them blushing anyways. Louis and Zayn both looked surprised while Shawn just rolled his eyes and shook his head with a smile. "Thank you so much for doing this for me."

"It's no problem, mate, really." Liam chuckled.

"Well that's two members of FOUR Niall James Horan has kissed," Louis announced with a smirk and the blonde then proceeded to tackle him.

"I bet Louis is next," Zayn said and then Niall was on top of him.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

[picture of Niall and Louis sitting next to each other and on their phones]

Liked by liampayne, camila_cabello and 613,517 others

 **shawnmendes:** They were tweeting each other when they were right next to each other @niallhoran @louist91

View all 35,194 comments

 **MendesMyLove:** me and my best friend tho, haha! So happy that they're friends again :)

 **softnouis_:** yes!! My bbs are all friends again so more nouis!

 **niallhoran:** we were actually texting each other and saying shit about u mate :) :) :)

*

 **FOUR Updates @FOURUpdates:** Niall has followed all the boys (minus Harry) again! I've missed their friendship ;-;

 **Jess @Jesssssy_16:** can we celebrate that they're friends again!? I've missed them

*

[picture of FOUR from their FOUR photoshoot]

100,178 likes

 **iheartradio:** Don't miss @fourofficial performing at the show this Sunday at 8/7c!

~

[picture of Niall sitting by a pool throwing a rose into the water]

98,574 likes

 **iheartradio:** @niallhoran is set as a presenter for this Sunday! Don't miss it!

View all 1,937 comments

 **NarryFeels:** awful how they're using Narry for promo to boost their rigged show

 **beliebe_justin:** @NarryFeels funny how u only say it's rigged when your favs don't win

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~ ~ ~**

"Didn't think you guys would say goodbye to Niall so soon," Harry says as he lets Louis into his room.

"Yeah well we all have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and he was falling asleep on poor Shawn. Had fun on your own?" Louis asked Harry with a smirk as he sits on the couch.

"Not really. Had a meeting with Modest and they want me and Kendall to keep saying that we're still together. So I'm stuck with yet another PR relationship. And you know what else I found out today?"

"What?"

"That they're the ones who called Kendall and told her to attend my birthday party in Mexico. They're the ones who told her where to find me when we were in LA for the AMAs."

"What?!" Louis exclaimed as he sat up and stared at Harry in shock. "Why would they want to break up you and Niall?"

"They never really liked Niall, though they were really thankful for the amount of publicity our relationship brought the band, they didn't like Niall because he wasn't famous enough like Kendall or Taylor. I can't believe I let them get in the middle of my relationship with Niall."

"Okay, but like, they sent Kendall to you both times because they wanted to break you and Niall up, you just did them a favor by actually going through with their fucked up plan. This still doesn't change the fact that you slept with Kendall, Harry. I just- I want to know how you even ended up in bed with her," Louis questioned Harry softly as he watched the curly haired lad flop down next to him in defeat.

"Niall and I had argued earlier that day over the phone and I was drinking a bit and then when Kendall arrived- well story short Niall and I hadn't had sex in awhile and she was right there."

"And she was right there. Lovely excuse Harold, but if you really loved Niall, than sex shouldn't have been a problem to you. If you weren't getting any, than the right thing would have been for you to wait and not look for what was missing with someone else," Louis scolded Harry. "Both Modest and yourself are to blame for this mess. I just really hope Niall can forgive you someday."

It's quiet between them for a bit as Louis turns on the TV and flips through the TV channels.

"I'm going to fix this. I don't know how, but I am. But first, I'd like to talk to Niall face to face to really apologize and everything."

"Then I'd say that the perfect chance would be this weekend since we're all at the same place. Just make sure Shawn doesn't punch you for wanting to do so," Louis teased and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Fuck off," Harry mumbled and then looked over at Louis with a smile.

"You scare me."

"I need you to help me get Niall to meet up with me," Harry told Louis who shook his head right away. "Please, Tommo!"

"If you get me in trouble with him again, I swear I'm gonna kick your ass. Fine, I'll see what I can do. I'll try for tomorrow, if not then hopefully before they leave. Niall leaves on Monday at noon so we've got at least until nine in the morning on Monday."

"Alright. I'm sure we can do this."

Louis shrugged and went back to the show he'd stumbled on.

**~ ~ ~ */LOUIS/* ~ ~ ~**

Louis headed back to his room after his chat with Harry and sighed when he saw Zayn out in the balcony smoking. He walked over and stood beside him, leaning against the railing and staring out into the city, the lights in the distance looking like tiny stars.

"I thought about it," Zayn says softly, words being carried with the wind as Louis stiffens a bit.

"Yeah? And what'd you decide on then?" Louis asks just as soft, not wanting to disturb the peaceful environment around them. For once Zayn seemed so at ease, a bit more happy than the last few weeks that Louis didn't want to ruin all that.

"Taking a few weeks off. I won't be flying to Manila with you guys and instead I'll be heading off to London. I really need this time away."

"That's fine, you need this and I understand, Zayn. I really do and I only want to see you happy again. I know these last few years have been stressful and we're all itching for that break now, but if you want to take it now, then that's okay."

"You're so amazing for understanding, honestly," Zayn says as he wraps an arm around Louis' waist and pulls him closer to his side. "The hardest part will definitely be being away from you."

"We'll make it through. Our first big break starts soon," Louis mumbles as he leans his head on Zayn's shoulder. "How long do you plan on being away? Or is this like a permanent thing?"

"Just until we start the European leg of the tour. I still wanna make that fifth album with my boys."

Louis smiled softly and enjoyed the feeling of Zayn's hand rubbing his side gently.

"I love you a lot, you know?" Zayn suddenly says as he looks down at Louis with a soft smile on his face.

Louis stands up straight and smiles back at Zayn, saying, "I love you a lot too."

Zayn chuckled and leaned in until their lips touched softly.

"Can we go to bed?" Louis mumbled against his lips, running his fingers through Zayn's messy black hair.

"We're not sleeping though, are we?"

"You know me so well."

Zayn pulled back from their kiss and laughed, throwing his head back before he began to pull Louis inside their hotel room.

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//March 20//

Niall and Shawn are on their way to The Forum for rehearsals. Niall is sipping on his Starbucks while humming along quietly to the radio and Shawn is texting his sister.

"Hey," Shawn suddenly says which startles Niall and makes his coffee drip down his chin.

"Fucker," Niall mumbled playfully as Shawn laughed. "Need something or did you just want to scare the shit out of me?"

"You know it, love," Shawn says in between laughs as he pinches Niall's cheek.

They pull up at the forum, where workers are hard at work finishing the red carpet. They get dropped off in the back and Niall quickly follows Shawn inside the building. There's producers and camera men running around and some celebs just lingering around talking to each other. On stage, the sound crew is checking the microphones and the light crew checking the stage lights.

"I forget how much of a mess the day before is," Niall grumbles as he holds onto Shawn's arm as they walk off to find a producer or something.

The two sit and watch as Selena does her soundcheck and then Shawn is off getting ready is Niall catches up with his friend.

"So Taylor and I are throwing an after party at her place tomorrow, you wanna come?" Selena asks Niall as they walk around the backstage area looking for her dressing room.

"Um I don't know, I mean-"

"Oh please Niall! It'll be fun!"

"Alright. Just don't expect me to party too much, I leave the next day. I kinda really need to get back to school even though I'm doing some online stuff right now, but my professors are probably not too happy with my nearly month long absence," Niall says as he makes a face and Selena laughs.

It's chaos backstage and people are constantly running into each other. Niall gets pushed a little to the side when three ladies run by with some wardrobe for the singers tomorrow. Selena is pushed as well and she groans and rubs her arm.

"Heard someone threw a fit over their outfit for their performance tomorrow. Not sure who it was, but think they're out of the show for some choice words they threw at the producers and such," Selena informs Niall in a whisper. "They haven't been able to find a replacement so they have to make adjustments for that empty five minute slot."

"Harsh, no wonder it's so chaotic everywhere," Niall replies back with wide eyes.

They're about to round a corner when Niall collides with a strong chest that makes him lose his balance, but before he can fall backwards, a pair of arms are being wrapped around his waist and suddenly Niall finds himself staring into familiar green eyes.

"Hi," Harry breathes out in shock with Niall still in his arms and dipped a bit backwards as if they'd just finished a dance routine. There was a soft smile on his face.

"Hi," Niall replies quietly as he finds himself smiling a bit, heart racing in his chest and electricity still coursing through their touch. It was all still there as if the last few months had never happened. As if they were back in September when things were still like they used to be.

Niall knows they have an audience, can feel their eyes burning into him but it's like it's only him and Harry back in their own little love bubble.

"We need FOUR on stage in two minutes!" Someone shouts from down the hall and that's all they need for their spell to be broken.

Niall pushes at Harry's chest until the older lad let's him go and they part ways without another word.

"That was intense," Selena says next to him as they finally reach her dressing room and walk in. "You alright though?"

"Yeah just never expected to run into him literally or have him hold me like that and it was- it felt so right."

"I know you still love him and-"

"No Sel, I don't want to get back together with him. At least not now. He hurt me and I gotta have some dignity, right? I can't just jump back into his arms as if nothing happened. I can't do that to my heart," Niall tells her as he leans against a wall and closes his eyes, the scene replaying in his head and the feel of Harry's arms around him still burning his body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got some Narry
> 
> So excited for Niall's album though!! Glad he finally announced a date for it. Can't wait !!


	8. "both dated"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Swiftie_Red:** haha! The "we both dated Harry Styles" squad !!

//March 21//

It's the day of the awards and Niall's chipping the sparkly purple nail polish on his thumb. He'd babysat Lux yesterday and she had insisted on painting his nails so Niall is now sitting in the car chipping off the paint as they're on their way to the red carpet.

Niall hasn't told anyone what happened yesterday, though Niall suspected that the rest of Harry's band mates knew so it was only a matter of time before Louis bombarded him with questions about their encounter.

"Hey, chill. Everything will be fine," Shawn told Niall as he reached over and grabbed his hands to stop him from picking at his nails.

"It's just, knowing that everyone will be holding their breath if Harry and I cross paths. I fucking hate this," Niall mumbled a bit angrily.

"I'm sure everything will be alright. Are you going to Taylor and Selena's after party?" Shawn asked Niall who let out a sigh.

"Don't really want to. I mean, I love Selena, but I'm not really in the mood. Besides, I leave tomorrow so I'd rather not fly with a hangover. It's a long flight to London."

They arrive and get out of the car, and even though Niall had said he'd walk the carpet on his own, Shawn wouldn't let him. Shawn gives him a look and Niall nods in defeat, smiling as they start walking the red carpet together. Eventually they separate so they can do interviews on their own.

"Niall!" Selena calls as she walks up to the Irish lad who was just lingering around.

"Hi Sel!" He greets her, hugging her quick.

"Come on, I wanna introduce you to Taylor."

Niall opened his mouth to make up an excuse, but he found himself being dragged towards a tall and skinny blonde woman. Selena caught Taylor's attention and she turned around and smiled.

"Tay, I want you to meet Niall! Niall, this is Taylor," Selena introduces the two with a smile.

"Hello! It's so nice to meet you, Niall," Taylor says with a large smile on her face as she hugs Niall briefly.

"Are you coming to the party tonight? Well, I hope Selena invited you," Taylor asks Niall, laughing as Selena rolls her eyes but wraps her arms around Niall and resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"Yeah she invited me, but I leave for London tomorrow so I don't think I'll be able to make it," the blonde says politely.

"Aww, Niall. Come on. It'll be fun. There won't be a lot of people and it's more of a get together between friends."

"I'll think about it."

The three start talking and Niall finds himself enjoying being around Taylor. He knows there will be pictures by later, but he doesn't mind. He finds Shawn again and they head inside together since they'll be sitting together at the show. Niall had gotten a glimpse at Harry and he had quickly looked away with a blush and shy smile when their eyes met across the room. Niall loved how the butterflies were still there every time he saw Harry.

"Thankfully we're not sitting close to the boys," Niall says as they find their seats in the third row, right behind Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran.

The show starts off great. Jason Derulo starts off the show and the crowd is immediately living for it. Shawn heads off backstage about thirty minutes in with Camila to get ready for their performance leaving Niall to sit on his own and playing on his phone while they wait to get back from a commercial break. Suddenly someone sits down next to him and Niall smiles when he finds Louis.

"How are you doing?" Louis asks as he looks at the blonde with a slight smirk on his face.

"Surprisingly good. I had a glass of vodka a few minutes ago and it's helped calm me down a bit. When do you guys go on?" Niall asks him.

"Right after Shawn and right after the next category. Heard the Bieber is doing two songs."

"Yeah apparently someone threw a fit and got kicked off so I'm guessing they asked him to do another song. It's fine though, I like Bieber."

Louis rolls his eyes and gives Niall a quick hug before heading off to his seat thirty seconds before they go back on air.

*

"Alright Niall, you're on in sixty seconds," one of the crew members tells the blonde who nods and smiles.

Niall takes in a few deep breaths and waits as the guy beside him counts down from ten. Then the guy nods and Niall puts on a large smile on his face as he walks across the stage to get to the microphone with the envelope in his hands as the crowd clap and cheer.

"This next category is made up of five groups who have had an amazing year in music and the winner was chosen by you, the fans," Niall begins as he reads off the prompter. "...these are your nominees for best duo/group of the year."

Niall stands back from the microphone as the video plays the five nominees, smiling a tiny bit as the crowd goes crazy when FOUR is mentioned. Maroon 5 and OneRepublic are among the nominees and Niall prays hard that one of those two win since he knows they're also pretty popular, but he knows how dedicated the FOUR fans are when it comes to winning awards for their boys.

"And the winner of the best duo/group of the year is..." Niall says as he begins to open the envelope, refraining from rolling his eyes on TV. "FOUR!"

Immediately the crowd cheers loudly as the four boys stand up right away and hug each other as the other celebrities sitting in the front rows stand up and clap politely. Niall looks over at the model who has the award and the two share a small smile. Niall turns back around and smiles wide when he sees Louis leading the group up the stairs with a large smile.

"Lad!" Louis shouts excitedly as he pulls Niall into a hug.

"Tommo!" Niall laughs and hugs back before pulling away and hugging Zayn.

Niall's soon letting go of Liam and shares a smile with Harry before hugging him tight as well, the crowd having seemed to be holding their breath before the screaming grew louder.

"Congrats," Niall says into Harry's ear.

"Thank you," Harry says softly, his arms around Niall's waist and squeezing him gently before pressing a discreet kiss to his cheek and then they're both pulling back and Harry joins the others by the microphone to say their thanks.

Niall stands back and watches as they say their thanks before all five make their way backstage, the blonde walking in between Zayn and Liam with Zayn's arm around his shoulders. Niall laughs at something that Louis says and follows the group to their dressing room.

"Congrats boys, you deserved this win," Niall tells them honestly as he leans against the doorway, watching them set their award on the vanity.

"Thanks, lad and what better person to receive this award from then from you," Louis says as he walks over to Niall and kisses his cheek.

"I better let you guys get ready for your performance. Have fun boys," Niall tells the boys before he's walking away without another glance at Harry.

Niall is escorted back to his seat during the commercial break and sits down next to Shawn with a sigh.

"Everything good?" Shawn asks as he rubs Niall's leg.

"Didn't think I'd make it," Niall told him honestly.

"You did good."

After the show ends, Niall's in Shawn's dressing room waiting for him to collect his things so they can go to Selena and Taylor's party. Niall really doesn't want to go, but he figures he could use a nice night out with friends. Besides, Taylor had assured him that it wasn't going to be a big party since it would be at her place.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

[picture of Niall and Shawn arriving at the red carpet]

1,075 likes

 **Shiall.Updates:** My dads looking amazing at the red carpet today!

View all 53 comments

 **MendesMyLove:** Can they date already?? They're always together anyways

 **imissnarry:** shiall's been more alive recently and I'm living for it!

 **ZiamMyDaddies:** I just really love their friendship, makes me wish I had a friend that cared about me that much :(

*

[picture of Niall and Taylor hugging at the red carpet]

3,294 likes

 **TSwiftUpdates:** Taylor Swift and Niall Horan at the iheartradio awards red carpet today!

View all 73 comments

 **outofStyles:** ok but like can they write a song together and sing it??

 **Swiftie_Red:** haha! The "we both dated Harry Styles" squad !!

*

[picture of Niall and Justin]

Liked by lukehemmimgs, bellahadid and 217,169 others

 **niallhoran:** was a pleasure meeting this guy! Always been a fan of his music and we had a pretty cool conversation

View all 19,661 comments

 **justinbieber:** it was my pleasure, man! Hope to see you soon

 **softnouis_:** two of my favorite people in one picture!

*

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** Niall and Harry hugging at the awards today! The most Narry we've gotten since December [gif of their hug]

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Taylor had been right, there weren't a lot of people at the party. Most of them seemed to be outside with around five or six people in the living room. Music was coming from outside and Niall spotted Taylor making her way over.

"You guys made it!" She cheered, hugging both boys who smiled at her.

"Wouldn't miss it," Shawn tells her with a smile.

"Well good! Hey, we're having a karaoke thing outside and people are singing in groups of two, Niall, will you be my partner?" Taylor asks as she looks at Niall who looks about ready to say no but he nods.

"Sure. Sounds like fun," he says instead and Shawn smirks a little and shakes his head before walking off when he sees Hailee Steinfeld.

Taylor walks away to greet some other people and Niall goes to get a drink, bumping into Louis and Liam on the way. Niall smiles and hugs the pair tightly, relieved that he actually knows other people at the party.

"Didn't know you guys were invited," Niall tells them with a smile as he grabs a beer.

"Well she invited the whole group, but Zayn's packing his things and Harold didn't fancy coming to his ex's party," Louis explained with a small shrug as the three headed outside where one of Taylor's supermodel friends was at the karaoke machine picking a song. "Didn't think you'd come, but word on social media is that you and Taylor are writing a song together about Harry to plan your revenge or some shit like that. Something you're not telling us lad?"

Niall and Liam both laughed at that and the blonde shook his head as they sat on some chairs by the small fire pit that everyone was ignoring.

"No, but I am singing with her for the karaoke thing," Niall explains as he takes a sip of his beer.

"Well that should be interesting," Liam says with a smile and Niall rolls his eyes as the blonde on stage starts singing a Fifth Harmony song.

Shawn walks over to them and sits next to Niall, turning to talk to Liam about music.

"How are things with the guy you like?" Louis asks the blonde who shakes his head.

"Going nowhere. We text and all, but I don't think it's going anywhere. And I'd rather leave things the way they are instead of making them awkward or something. He's a great friend and it's for the best if we didn't go for more," Niall tells Louis as he looks away from the drunk guy now attempting to sing a Chris Brown song.

"But if he said that he liked you, would you take the risk?"

"If you would have asked me this awhile ago, I would have said yes, but no I wouldn't take it. I'm happy being single and after nearly two years with Harold I'm enjoying this. I don't have to worry about being too busy or anything."

Louis smiled and patted Niall's knee. The four huddle close as Louis starts making jokes about the person who's singing and Liam looks like he wants to scold the older lad, but he laughs anyways and lets him keep going.

Niall's a bit tipsy by the time Taylor heads their way with a large smile.

"Niall, it's our turn!" She says excitedly as she grabs his arm and starts pulling him up.

"Turn for what?" Louis asked curiously and Shawn snickered.

"They're singing together at the karaoke machine," Shawn explained as Niall finished his drink and stood up, taking Taylor's hand as they talk about song options on their way to the makeshift stage.

"Oh dear," Liam sighs but there's a smile on his face anyway and the three get up and move closer as everyone starts cheering the two on.

"Oh! Can we do this one? It's one of my favorites," Niall asks Taylor who looks a bit surprised but only smiled wider and nods.

"For sure!" She nodded and then handed Niall a microphone as she grabbed the other one and hit play on the music.

"I remember when we broke up the first time. Saying, "This is it, I've had enough, " 'cause like We hadn't seen each other in a month. When you said you needed space. (What?)" Taylor started off and immediately their crowd began to clap and cheer loudly while Niall saw Louis and Shawn laugh and take their phones out to record.

"Then you come around again and say, "Baby, I miss you and I swear I'm gonna change, trust me." Remember how that lasted for a day? I say, "I hate you, " we break up, you call me, "I love you." Niall sang next as him and Taylor exaggerated in their acting.

"Yeah!" Selena cheered as she clapped her hands above her head.

"We are never ever ever getting back together. We are never ever ever getting back together. You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me. But we are never ever ever ever getting back together!" The two sang and danced around with each other, Niall laughing into his microphone as Taylor spun him around.

"Like ever!" Everyone else shouted.

*

"Look at our little pop star!" Louis cheered as he giggled drunkenly and wrapped his arms around Niall, making the blonde stumble back with his weight.

"Fuck off," Niall grumbled as he wiped his hand from the drink Louis had made him spill.

"Singing to anyone in particular?" Shawn teased his friend as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Fuck off all of you."

Liam giggled and brought his drink up to his lips. As the night wore on, Niall found himself drinking a bit less since he was already feeling like all the alcohol he consumed would come out. He was sitting alone on a lounge chair staring up at the sky. His thoughts were interrupted by his phone going off and he smiled when he saw Bressie's name.

"Hey," Niall greeted him softly as he leaned back against the chair.

"Hey, how's LA?" Bressie asked him and Niall let out a sigh knowing Bressie was really asking if everything was okay after seeing Harry again.

"It's great. Everything's been great and I didn't feel like slapping him on TV."

Bressie laughed loudly and Niall bit his bottom lip.

"I miss you," Niall slurred, rubbing at his tired eyes and then giggling after he hiccuped.

"Miss you too. When are you back?"

"Um my plane leaves at noon LA time so that's roughly around eight pm back home so definitely not until Tuesday. I love wasting a whole day in the air."

"Oh and I have Trixie by the way. Laura had to go to Ireland for some work so she's with me."

"Thank you for taking care of her. I miss my baby," Niall cried, tears clouding his vision. He's a sad drunk on most occasions.

"I'm sure she misses you too. I'll leave you to it, I'm taking Trixie for a walk since she's been sitting by the front door for ten minutes now."

"Bye Bress," Niall told him and hung up just as Louis walked towards him with another drink and a large drunken smile on his face. "You smell like weed."

"Want a joint?" Louis questioned as he pats the pocket of his jacket.

"I've never smoked before," Niall tells him as he takes the drink and let's Louis sit on the same chair as him.

"First time for everything. Come on," Louis says as he pulls out the things he needs from his pocket.

Niall chokes and nearly dies when he takes the first hit and Louis simply laughs at him. By the fourth hit, Niall's kind of gotten the hang of it. By the seventh, Niall is a pro and starting to feel weightless.

*

"Are you high?" Shawn asked the blonde in complete shock.

"I'm certainly not low," Niall replied and him and Louis burst into giggles while Liam shook his head and Shawn sighed.

"Come on, we're leaving anyways," Shawn tells Niall as he starts pulling the blonde along towards the front door.

"I don't wanna leave!" Niall whined childishly as he stumbles after Shawn.

"Well too bad. It's late and you're leaving in the morning anyways. I don't think you'd wanna fly home while being hungover and high."

Niall sighed and gave up, lacing his fingers with Shawn's as Liam and Louis follow them. All four say their goodbyes to Taylor who'd been saying goodbye to some friends. She smiled and hugged Niall tightly before letting them be on their way.

"I need some bushes," Niall mumbled, hand over his mouth and Shawn winced before quickly leading the blonde over to a tree.

Niall quickly leaned over and threw up, just barely dodging his shoes as Shawn looked away but rubbed his back anyways.

Once Niall was the done, the two got in the car and Shawn drove them to the hotel with the blonde nodding off in the passenger seat.

"Come on you brat, we're here," Shawn said as he nudged Niall who groaned but stumbled out of the car, nearly landing on the concrete.

"Not a brat," Niall mumbles tiredly as he stumbles after Shawn who rolls his eyes.

Shawn struggles to get Niall into the elevator and then into his room. It's a nightmare, honestly, especially when the blonde starts to cry as soon as they enter his hotel room.

"What now? Niall, it's three in the morning just fucking go to sleep," Shawn begged as he tugged at his hair in frustration.

"I-I miss H-Harry!" Niall sobbed and Shawn froze as he looked at the blonde sadly before he knelt down in front of him.

"Ni," Shawn says softly though he really doesn't know what else to say. He wasn't aware of Niall still feeling so torn up about Harry. He guesses it probably comes after their brief interaction earlier, but he honestly has no idea how to approach this.

"Why would he hurt me?" Niall sniffled after awhile, wiping away his tears. "Thought he loved me."

"We all knew- _know_ how much he loves you, Niall," Shawn tells him, reaching up to wipe away Niall's tears. "And I know you still love him too, but getting this drunk until you start spilling your emotions won't help you out."

Niall just choked back a sob before he leaned down to wrap his arms around Shawn, crying into his shoulder as Shawn holds him tight.

An hour later, Niall is fast asleep in his bed after Shawn convinced him to change out of his clothes and brush his teeth. Meanwhile the Canadian lad is sitting next to him in bed while calling Sandra.

"Hi Shawn, need something? Wait, isn't it like four in the morning in LA?" She asks in curiosity.

"Yeah it's late, but uh, could you change Niall's ticket? I really don't think he'll make it," Shawn asks her, looking over at the blonde who was fast asleep clutching a small stuffed rabbit he'd bought from the airport gift shop.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well he got drunk and high at a party and had a bit of a breakdown afterwards. I just got him to fall asleep and I don't think it would be convenient for him to fly like this. I don't leave until Wednesday anyways and I'd feel better if he stayed back until then so I can keep an eye out for him."

"Yeah alright, just take care of him. I'll email the details of his new flight once I get it. It was Harry, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

After Shawn hung up, he set his phone on the nightstand and turned off the lamp on the bedside table.

It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like Taylor's music, I really genuinely do and my favorite to sing is We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and my favorite all time is All Too Well along with Never Grow Up. With that being said, she's nice in this story because yeah. And we get a bit more Narry next chapter
> 
> Also Too Much To Ask is so fucking good, honestly can't wait for Niall's album!!


	9. "moving on"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** "But moving on from him is impossible when I still see it all in my head"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics used:  
> Taylor Swift - Red  
> Miley Cyrus - Scars

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//March 22//

[video of Niall and Taylor singing]

9,847 views

 **TSwiftUpdates:** Taylor and Niall both sang 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' last night at her after party!

View all 172 comments

 **outofStyles:** I'm living for their sudden friendship!! Haha

 **xxLARRYxxFOUR:** Niall is such a snake

 **imjaime_:** I love how Shawn, Louis and Liam are both laughing and singing along with the crowd. Niall and Taylor put up one hell of a show tho

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** "But moving on from him is impossible when I still see it all in my head"

 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** If I could, have just one night, to be with you and make it right.

*

 **My Son @LouSmolBean:** ok but Narry are indirectly tweeting each other lyrics and it's only making me feel sad.

 **Payne @PaynosPrincess:** Niall: I can't move on from him Harry: I just need one night to make things right Me: Just kiss already!!

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

It was nearing three in the afternoon when Niall got a text from Louis. The blonde had just gotten out of the shower after having become acquainted with the toilet bowl all morning. Shawn was out at the studio.

 **Louis:** Shawn said you're not leaving until Wednesday, wanna come up to my room?

 **Niall:** I feel like shit, Lou, honestly don't wanna get out of bed :(

 **Louis:** please Ni-boo?

 **Niall:** fine, be there in five

Niall got out of bed and put on the hoodie he'd stolen from Harry and put on his Vans before grabbing his phone and heading out of the room. He'd pulled the hood up over his still slightly damp hair and his head protested each time he took a step.

He makes it to Louis' room and knocks on the door before it opens and instead of Louis, he finds Harry standing there. Niall blinks in confusion.

"Um thought this was Louis' room?" Niall asked Harry a bit awkwardly while Harry was biting his bottom lip looking nervous. "If he's not in, then I'll leave."

"No wait, I was wondering if we could talk? I just- please Ni, I really need this," Harry begs the blonde who looks up at Harry who looks tired and desperate so Niall lets out a sigh and nods. Maybe he needs this as well.

The two walk further into the room and they take a seat on the couch, both on opposite ends and looking at anywhere but each other. It was slightly tense and awkward, Niall playing with the strings on the hoodie to distract himself.

"I really am sorry, Ni. I'm not going to excuse my actions and I know I did so wrong. I feel terrible," Harry begins as he looks over at Niall who has a frown on his face as he stares at the carpet under his feet.

"I'm not gonna lie, H, it still hurts. I'm not where I want to be emotionally because I'm still hurting even though it's gotten easier with each passing day. I don't hate you though if that's what you've been thinking," Niall tells him sincerely as he looks over at Harry with teary blue eyes. "I know I should because you broke my heart in the worst way, but I can't. And sometimes I hate that I still love you. I hate that I still think about you and miss you every day. I hate how lonely I feel at night without you."

"Trust me, I hate myself for everything. Modest kinda set me up anyways."

"What?" Niall questioned as he frowned.

"You know they didn't like you and they sent Kendall up to my hotel room back in November. We'd just argued over the phone and I'd been drinking so I let it happen," Harry explained in a bitter tone as he looked at Niall briefly before looking away.

"We both knew Modest didn't really like me, but I never thought they'd go as far as try to break us up. They must be throwing parties everyday since they actually did it," Niall says as he pushes back the hood and runs his fingers through his hair.

"And I wanna say sorry for accusing you of leaking the pictures. I know you couldn't have done that, it was a heat of the moment thing."

Niall nodded and didn't say anything else. He had so much to say, but at the same time he didn't know what to say. Niall wanted to forgive him, he really did. Niall wanted his best friend back.

"If the situation were reversed I would have probably thought the same thing, doesn't mean it didn't hurt though."

At some point during their conversation, the two ended up moving closer until their thighs touched.

"Do you think we could work on us? I just still love you a lot, Ni. These last few months have been difficult and I really miss you, even if all we can go back to being is friends," Harry said in a pleading tone as he looked down at the blonde.

"I'd love that, but I still need a bit of time. I still love you too and I would love for us to work things out, but I'm still hurt, Haz. I'm sure we can start on being friends again and then we'll just let time decide what happens afterwards," Niall replied as he looked up at Harry, their faces now inches away from each other.

"Thank you and I would love to be able to have my best friend back," Harry says softly, eyes flickering down to Niall's lips for a bit before going back up to his eyes.

Niall nods, feeling himself lean in closer to Harry. They could feel their breaths mixing with each other's and just before their lips could finally meet, Niall moved back and shook his head, giving Harry a sad smile. Harry leaned in and instead kissed Niall's forehead, letting his lips linger there as Niall closed his eyes and leaned further into his touch as a tear slipped down his left eye. Harry pulled back and wiped away Niall's tears with his thumb and the blonde opened his eyes.

"I gotta go, Shawn should be back by now," Niall says as he stands up and Harry does too, following him towards the door.

"Thanks for hearing me out, means a lot," Harry says a bit nervously and Niall giggled quietly because he always loved when Harry would get all nervous and shy around him.

"I'm glad I came. Uh hopefully we can keep in touch. Take care, Harry."

"You too," Harry says and pulls Niall into a tight hug, tucking his face into the blonde's neck and breathing in his scent.

Niall closed his eyes to keep his tears in as he hugged Harry just as tight, fingers clutching at his shirt like a lifeline.

"Bye," Niall whispers and then he's walking down the hall, away from Harry and definitely feeling better now that he got some form of closure with what happened.

And as Harry watched him leave, he felt like another piece of his heart had gone with him.

"Where were you?" Shawn asks Niall as they bump into each other in the hall.

"I talked with Harry. We both kinda really needed it and things are definitely going to be okay now," Niall informs him with a smile that's more genuine.

"Just hope you don't get hurt again."

//March 25//

Niall's home now and he's catching up on his school work while Trixie laid by his feet like the lazy dog she is. He's startled out of his work by the doorbell going off and Trixie immediately runs up to the door, barking excitedly while Niall laughs and walks over.

Niall opened the door and was shocked to find Zayn standing there with a bag.

"Zayn! Hi, what are you doing here?" Niall asked as he hugged his friend tightly.

"Mind if I crash here a few days?" Zayn asked as he wrapped his arms around Niall, pressing a quick kiss to his temple before pulling away.

"I don't mind, come in."

Niall closed the door while Zayn greeted Trixie who was very happy with his visit.

"So what's up?" Niall asks as he leads Zayn to the guest room.

"Just needed time away from the tour. I felt like it was all too much and I couldn't take it. Was glad management was pretty okay with letting me off for a bit," Zayn explained as he set his bag on the bed and sat down.

"How did the boys take it?" Niall wonders as he sits next to Zayn.

"They were pretty understanding. I know Louis and I kind of went through a rough patch because of me and I'm just lucky to have him by my side," Zayn explains with a soft smile on his face.

"He's a great lad, but things are okay between you guys now?"

"Very okay. We talked in LA before they left to continue their tour and we promised to keep in touch as much as we could."

"And the fans?"

"A statement was released this morning telling them that I'd be back soon and that it's just a small break that I needed."

"Glad you're thinking about yourself, Zee. Are you hungry? I can make you something," Niall offers and Zayn declines politely.

"I just wanna rest for a bit if you don't mind," Zayn tells him and Niall smiled.

"I don't mind. I'll be out in the living room working on school stuff."

Zayn chuckled and watched Niall go.

*

 **Louis:** hows my man?

 **Niall:** im doing lovely

 **Louis:** I meant Zayn you moron

 **Niall:** rude. He's doing fine. He's resting in the guest room

 **Louis:** just glad this leg of the tour is almost over so I can go be with him :(

 **Niall:** I'll keep him safe mate :)

 **Louis:** thank u Neil

Niall smiled and set his phone down as he went back to his math work. He really regrets taking that math course.

Ever since his talk with Harry, Niall's felt more at peace and even though it still hurt what happened between Harry and Kendall, Niall knew things would be better from now on.

He also hadn't heard from Corey yet which made him think that maybe he was being paranoid for nothing and the interview had cleared up any remaining drama so in all, it was all going great. Maybe a little too great and Niall was just kind of waiting for something bad to happen.

"What do you think, Trixie? Are we out of the woods yet?" Niall asked his dog who ignored him.

"Are you going to keep making Taylor Swift puns?" Zayn asked, making Niall jump in fright.

"Ass," the blonde scolded him as Zayn laughed as he walked over and ruffled the blonde's hair.

"So what's for dinner?"

"Whatever you want, you're the guest," Niall tells Zayn with a smile as he starts to put his things away, shooing Trixie away as she grew interest in his textbook. There was no way in hell he was going to let her ruin that and make him buy a new one.

"I'm kinda in the mood for pizza."

"Pizza it is! Can you put the order in? I have to put my things away before my homework disappears again."

"Sure," Zayn says with a laugh as he grabs his phone to make the order.

//March 27//

Niall had a long morning of boring lectures and now he was heading to his car with a stack of homework. As he got closer to his car, he saw someone leaning against it with sunglasses covering his eyes and whistling. Niall frowned and as he got closer, he realized who it was. He froze in shock and fear.

"What do you want?" Niall asked him, a slight tremor in his voice.

"You still look as beautiful as you did five years ago," the guy says as he looks at Niall, no doubt that his eyes were roaming up and down his body, making Niall shiver a bit in disgust.

"Seriously Corey, what do you want? Didn't you get the hint that I didn't ever want to see you again?"

"Well yeah, but I figured that after five years you'd forget everything," Corey says with a shrug as he stands in front of Niall with about two feet of distance between them. Niall took a step back so they wouldn't be much closer.

"You're insane for thinking that. I've never once forgotten what you did to me. What you said. I don't ever want to see you again. I've moved on past all that and I don't plan on going back," Niall tells him in the strongest voice he could muster up. "I have to go, so please get the fuck away from my car."

"I just want to talk and I'm not leaving until we do," Corey insisted.

"And I don't so fuck off so I can go home."

"Well I'm not letting you leave until we talk. I just want to tell you that I've been seeing a professional since Shawn called the cops on me," Corey tells Niall as he takes off his sunglasses to look at the blonde who frowned a bit.

"You have?" Niall asked, finding it hard to believe that Corey was getting help for his very obvious anger issues. "I don't believe you. And if you're just saying this to get close to me again, you can fuck right off."

"You have every right to not believe me, but I'm telling you the truth," Corey pleaded, looking desperate in his attempt to get Niall to believe him.

"Look, say it is true and I believe you, and? Do you want me to clap for you? I mean, I'd be glad that you're getting help, but that doesn't change anything. I don't know what you want from me," Niall tells him, still standing at a safe distance.

Corey didn't say anything and Niall sighed impatiently as he moved past him to go to his car, but Corey wrapped a hand tightly around his wrist and pulled him back, making Niall drop his text book and the loose sheets of paper that were inside fell off. Niall's eyes were wide as he looked at Corey, that same shade of anger swirling in his eyes.

"I said I was seeing a professional, just never said it was working," Corey tells Niall with that smirk that always scared Niall.

"Let me go," Niall hissed at Corey, trying to break free from his strong hold painful hold. "I don't want anything to do with you, what don't you get? Do I need to call the cops again? Wait, how did you even know where to find me?"

"Oh please babe, I've known a lot about you for awhile You know Martin, right?"

"W-What?"

"Yeah Martin's a great friend of mine and well I've asked him to keep an eye on you until my restraining order was up. And those pictures of your precious boyfriend cheating on you? I leaked those and I'm also the one who emailed them to you because it wasn't fair to you that he was sleeping with her on the side," Corey explained and Niall couldn't believe he was being stalked by his ex.

"You're crazy."

"I know, but I only did it because I love you and I couldn't stand the thought of him hurting you."

"Like you never hurt me. Like you aren't hurting me right now. Just tell me what you want so we can get this over with."

"Well I'm in this band and I'd really appreciate if you gave us a little boost in our career," Corey said as he cupped Niall's face with his other hand.

"And if I don't?" Niall asked him with raised eyebrows. "You willing to risk another trip to the police station?"

Before Corey could say anything, Niall kicked him in the nuts and while he was doubled over in pain, Niall quickly gathered his book and got in his car, locking the doors. With shaky fingers he put the keys in and squeaked when Corey started to bang on his car window.

"Fuck off!" Niall shouted before he backed away and drove off.

*

"You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Zayn asks the blonde worriedly when Niall enters the apartment.

"Had a little run in with my ex who has been stalking me for quite a while now. No biggie," Niall shrugged though there was a tone of hysteria in his voice and his hands were shaky as he dropped onto the couch.

"What? Are you okay?"

"Um yeah, but if I end up going missing within the next few days, you can blame Corey," Niall says as he runs a hand through his hair.

"What's that?" Zayn asked as he grabbed Niall's hand and motioned to his wrist.

"He did that and it kinda really hurts. He still has a strong grip," Niall tells him, eyes trained on his bruising wrist. "I'm gonna go grab an ice pack."

"You sit, I'll go get that for you."

"Thanks."

Zayn headed towards the kitchen and Niall let out a shaky sigh, finally being able to calm his heart down now that he was at home.

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~ ~ ~**

"So you never told us how your talk with Niall went," Louis commented as the three of them sat together for dinner.

"Well it went better than I thought it would. I honestly thought he'd hit me and stuff, but we talked and we're gonna work on being friends first and then we'll see what happens," Harry tells them with a soft smile and both Liam and Louis smile wide.

"Well that's great! And you guys would get back together?" Liam asked Harry who frowned a bit before smiling and nodding.

"I'm confident that with time and if I can gain Niall's trust again, maybe. I'd really like that, but I'd even be happy if we were just friends. He still means a lot to me and I'm a bit happier knowing I've still got a chance."

"That's great, lad, just don't blow it again. I love you both, but I'll beat you up if you hurt my little brother again," Louis warned Harry who chuckled and held his hands up in surrender.

"So you talked to Zayn today?" Liam asked Louis, changing topics.

"No, but I know he's staying with Niall for a bit. Zayn said he wanted to be disconnected from everything for a few days, so I'm giving him a bit of space. I just can't wait for these final shows before we get a small break," Louis replied with a soft tired smile on his face.

"Yeah, just a few more days. How's the Kendall thing going?"

"Ugh. Well I'm in the safe for right now, but once we get that small break, I'm expected to be seen out with her a bit before we start letting the break up rumors come. They only want us to stay together until this one fashion event in New York that I'm being forced into attending with her in May," Harry explained with a frown making the other two looking at him sympathetically.

"Sucks to be you, but you kinda asked for it." Louis shrugged as he pushed his plate off to the side and grabbed his beer.

Harry rolled his eyes but didn't say anything because he knew Louis was right. He dug his own grave and now he couldn't wait to get out of it.

"I've been thinking about coming out," Louis speaks up after awhile and Harry's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Yeah? And management?" Liam questioned him.

"I haven't talked to them about it, but I know they'll oppose to that idea. They already want to find me another beard and I don't want to go through with that anymore. It's tiring to have to pretend to be someone you're not. And Zayn and Perrie's time is coming to an end as well so we talked and we said it'd be good to do this step by step," Louis explained to his two best friends.

"Well if you do decide to come out, you've got our full support, Tommo," Harry told him with a soft smile and Louis smiled back.

"Thanks lads, really means a lot."

"We'll have your back forever and always, mate," Liam says as he reaches over and gives Louis' shoulder a soft squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's have a chat because I DON'T want to see a single comment saying how 'oh why would niall forgive him?' and blah blah blah. 
> 
> I honestly didn't want to make this story a billion chapters long and make it sound repetitive. And besides, we all want Narry and I'm just speeding things up a tiny bit. They won't get together right away, meaning they're going to rebuild their friendship and trust but we're getting somewhere.
> 
> Well that and because I was reaching a dead end, meaning I had no idea what to do anymore. So just take it or go. I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm honestly tired of having to rewrite chapters over and over because I don't like them and this way things are speeding up and it's easier now for me.
> 
> I don't want a single complaint, please xx


	10. "my heart"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** "Hope you always believe you still have all of my heart"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics used
> 
> Sleeping With Sirens - All Of My Heart

//April 2//

Zayn was with his family now and the boys would be back in a few days. Niall hadn't heard or seen Corey since that day and he was glad for that and he didn't tell Shawn because he knew his best friend would fly over to London even though he was back on tour now. Niall and Bressie were kinda distanced at the moment even though Niall didn't know why. He asked Laura if Bressie was mad at him, but she simply said that he had a lot of work. Niall felt hurt because he really liked Bressie and he thought they could at least try at something.

Shaking it off, Niall was putting his whole focus on school and his work. He hadn't talked to Harry since their chat in LA, mainly because he couldn't gather enough courage to do it, but he really wanted his best friend back.

"Hi Sandra!" Niall greeted her with a large smile as he enters her office.

"Hi love, come in. I want to talk to you about this fashion event launch in New York next month that I want you to go to," Sandra tells him as she sits down on her chair and starts typing away on her computer.

"Alright and what's this about?" Niall asks her as he sits across from her and pics up a picture of her one year old son. He'd seen the little lad a couple of times and Niall adored him, made him change his mind about not wanting kids in the future.

"It's the launch of the Danger&Wilde line. They're already getting amazing reviews by fashion experts and I need you to attend because I heard that Wilde is a fan of yours and he has his eye set on you for fashion week."

"Fashion week?!" Niall exclaimed in shock and Sandra laughed.

"Of course darling, now that you're nearing the end of your school career, we need to start focusing you in on bigger things like more magazine covers, runways and all that. And I've been talking with Shawn's management about getting the two of you to do some things together, but that's a talk for another day. So can I confirm you for the event?"

"Yeah. When is it?" Niall asked after he's calmed down and trying to wrap his head around the idea of getting to walk in fashion week.

"It's in May and you can take a plus one."

"When is this event taking place?"

"It's on May 24th. Any questions? Concerns?" Sandra asked him.

"Why do I get the feeling that there's a but somewhere in there that you don't want to tell me," Niall tells her and Sandra sighs before looking over at Niall with a bit of an apologetic look.

"I know you and Harry talked and you said that you feel a lot better now that you did, but I got word that he's attending with Kendall."

"What?! No way. No. I am not doing this," Niall tells his manager, Sandra, who sighs and rolls her eyes at the blonde. "I will not be attending the same event as Kendall. How about no."

"Look, you and Kendall are in the same business, so either grow a pair and show them that you don't care about them anymore or keep hiding in your apartment," Sandra tells him as she scribbles something in her notepad and Niall groans as he stares up at the ceiling. "So can I confirm your presence to the event? With a plus one, right?"

"Yeah. I'm not going to let this opportunity slide by just because of her. I'm fine with Harry, granted I still don't want any type of public interaction with him where the fans will get the wrong idea, but she's not going to stop me," Niall said and Sandra nodded with a smile as she typed away.

"Okay then. That's all for today. Oh wait, uh you've got a photoshoot next week down in Brighton. I'll email you with more details tomorrow."

"Alright, thanks Sandra."

As Niall was leaving her office, he got a call from Bressie and he hesitated with answering, but he did before the call got cut off.

"Hey," Niall greets him as he reaches his car and quickly gets inside.

"Hi uh, are you busy?" Bressies asks him a bit awkwardly.

"No just got out of a meeting, why?"

"Can we meet up somewhere? Wanna talk to you."

"Sure, where do you have in mind?" Niall asks as he starts his car and waits for him to say something before driving off.

"That one coffee shop by your place sounds good," Bressie finally says after a minute of silence.

"Alright. I'll meet you there."

*

Niall enters the coffee shop about twenty minutes later and immediately spots Bressie sitting near the back with a coffee in his hands. Niall orders himself an iced vanilla late before going to sit across from him.

"Hi," Niall greets him a bit quietly, setting his phone on the table.

"Hi, sorry I've been so off lately. Just been working too much with my music and such," Bressie tells Niall who looks at him with a bit of amusement.

"You don't have to apologize, I understand what work is, but I just had the feeling that you were ignoring me," Niall tells him softly. The coffee shop was after all a quiet place despite it being nearly full and he didn't want strangers hearing his conversation. Or in case Corey had sent someone else to stalk him.

"I mean, I guess I kind of was. I like you Niall, I do, but we're still both hung up on other people and I don't want to ruin our friendship with something like that or hurt you," Bressie confesses as he reaches over to grab Niall's hands in one of his. "You're still fragile over what happened with your ex, I can see it in your eyes and I don't want to take advantage of you."

"But you wouldn't be taking advantage of me if I know what I'm getting myself into. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but we're also two different people. The whole world knows who you are, you have paps and fans waiting outside an airport or they know where and what you're doing. That's not really me and I couldn't ask you to keep our relationship private."

Niall pulled his hands out from Bressie's and let out a long irritated sigh as he lowered his gaze to his coffee cup. He knows things aren't easy, especially not know with the amount of times Niall's name has been in some trashy magazine claiming he's depressed or arguing with Harry over texts and he doesn't want to drag Bressie into such a different part of the fame. And he knows people will talk because of their age difference as if it weren't a common thing for someone young to date someone older. What hurts Niall is the fact that Bressie isn't even willing to try.

"Okay," Niall said softly in resignation with a shrug as if telling Bressie that he didn't care. "Then I guess we're done here."

"Niall," Bressie called as the blonde stood up.

"No, you're right and I'm not going to expose myself to someone who isn't willing to try. I'll see you around," Niall told him and walked out of the coffee shop feeling quite disappointed.

After that he spent the rest of his day at home with Trixie and watching movies with a tub of strawberry ice cream and ignoring his phone.

//April 5//

"Bressie feels bad," is the first thing Laura told him when she enters his apartment.

"And you think I don't? We went on a fucking date. One before he realized that I wasn't going to be worth his fucking time," Niall told her as he cleaned around his apartment. It was a mess and Trixie wasn't helping with all of her toys scattered around the living room and dragging his dirty laundry out of the basket.

"He does like you Niall, but you both-"

"No Laura, I'm better off this way anyway since I'm trying to work on things with Harry. I'd rather not get too attached only to have my heart broken later on. Maybe dating myself for a bit is what I need. I spent nearly two years with Harry and one with Corey and after that ass I had to spend time on fixing myself and caring for my mental health. I deserve some me time," Niall explained, glaring at Trixie who was chewing on an old copy of a book Niall used to read a lot when he was younger. "Trixie, stop it! Bad girl."

"What is up with you?" Laura asked with a chuckle as she fought the book out of Trixie's mouth.

"Harry's sister is coming to pick her up tomorrow so she can take her to Harry's now that they're back from tour. And it's like she knows she's leaving because she's making my day so much more difficult."

"And now that they're back, are you going to work on your friendship with Harry?" Laura wondered as she followed Niall around the apartment.

"I want to, I really do, but I keep chickening out of at least sending a hi via text. I've missed him so much and now that we talked, I just want things to go back to the way they were and I want him back, but I'd rather work on getting his friendship back."

"If he asked you out on a date while this small break, would you say yes?" Laura asked Niall in curiosity, watching the blonde smile softly as a small blush dusted over his pale cheeks.

"Why not?" Niall shrugged and hid his smile as Laura shook her head with a giggle.

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** "Hope you always believe you still have all of my heart"

 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** I could have been better and stronger for you and me.

//April 8//

Niall has his days where he'll just simply miss Harry so much he'll lock himself in his apartment ignoring his phone and everyone or he'll go out with a friend and get drunk until he ends up crying. Niall's feeling in between at the moment. He's itching to go out and have a drink and maybe have a hook up like the ones he used to have before he even met Harry, but he also just wants to sleep the day away.

In the end he ends up going out with Laura, Eoghan promising to join them later on with Bressie, but truth was, Niall didn't think Bressie would join them since him and Niall haven't talked since their last one where Bressie rejected the idea of dating Niall. That still hurt and Niall had a feeling that if he got drunk, he'd probably start yelling and crying at the older man.

"Eoghan's on his way!" Laura tells the blonde as she sets her phone down and picks up her drink.

"He didn't mention if Breslin was coming?" Niall asked her, hand curled tightly around his drink.

"Nope, but I would imagine so."

Niall nods and a friend of Laura's walks up to them and her and Laura get into a nice conversation that Niall uses to slip away and go mingle with some hot boys. It's been months since he's last done anything sexual, so Niall is looking to take someone home.

"Hi babe, fancy running into you here," a deep familiar voice says right into Niall's ear, making him shiver, but definitely not in a good way.

"Fuck off or I'm definitely calling the cops on you. I'm sick tired of thinking that you're following me everywhere," Niall hissed at Corey who only laughed loudly and circled his arms around the blonde's waist and pulling him tight against his body.

"Well I certainly don't know that you arrived at your school this morning at eight and left at half past noon and that a female friend of yours visited you for around an hour."

"You psycho, let me go!"

"I only want one night with you and then I'll leave you alone. For old time's sake?" Corey asked as he began to kiss and bite gently at Niall's neck.

"No! Leave me alone!" Niall shouted, hoping to catch someone's attention as he tried to wiggle free from Corey's strong hold, but no one was paying attention to him and the music was too loud for someone to hear him scream for help.

"I'd really appreciate it if you'd let my boyfriend go," came Bressie's voice from their left and Niall sighed in relief, especially when Corey's arms disappeared from around his waist.

"Boyfriend? Didn't know the little whore moved on so quick despite saying he was very heartbroken after that Styles kid cheated on him," Corey said and Niall quickly got in front of Bressie when he saw the older man's hands form tight fists as he glared at Corey. "You're such a great actor, Niall, always have been. What was it that you'd tell everyone when they saw the bruises I gave you? That you tripped because you're always so clumsy?"

"Fuck. Off," Niall spat out angrily, tears blurring his vision as Corey reminded him of that nightmare he lived through with him. "I don't need you ruining my life again and I'm this close to calling the cops on you again."

"But I'm having so much fun spilling your little secrets to the media," Corey taunted and this time it was Bressie who held the blonde back before he swung a fist at Corey who laughed before walking away.

"You okay?" Bressie asked as he turned the blonde to face him, arm around his small waist and looking at him worriedly.

"I hate him so much," was all Niall said before he rested his forehead on Bressie's chest as he closed his eyes and took in deep breaths to calm himself down. "Thank you for saving me."

"Anytime," Bressie replied softly as he leaned down to press his nose into Niall's temple, the two staying in their own little world feeling content despite their talk from a few days ago.

They make their way back to the table a minute later, Niall holding Bressie's hand tightly and blue eyes darting around the crowded club for Corey or Martin, but he doesn't spot them so he relaxes a bit.

"Where were you two?" Laura asked with a bit of a smirk, but then it fades when she notices how pale Niall is. Well more so than normal. "Are you okay?"

"Had a run in with my ex," Niall mumbles as he takes the drink Eoghan offers him and drinks it quickly.

Twenty minutes later it's just Bressie and Niall sitting at the table and it's a bit awkward with Niall playing around on his phone.

"I'm gonna head out. Say goodbye to Laura and Eoghan for me," Niall tells Bressie and before he can argue with the blonde, Niall is already walking away quickly.

He needs to get out. He no longer feels safe anywhere and he's really got nowhere to go. He gets into his car and drives to the last place he ever thought he'd find himself in. He parks his car in the driveway and walks up the familiar path to the front door and rings the doorbell. It opens a minute later and a confused and surprised Harry stands there in some pajama pants and an old white tee with holes.

"Niall?" Harry calls him in a worried tone as he stares at the blonde who seems to be shaking.

"I'm sorry, I just-" Niall choked out and then he was crying, startling Harry who was quick to pull the blonde inside what used to be their home.

"Hey, what's wrong? Come on," Harry said as he lead Niall into the living room and held him tight as they sat on the couch.

"My ex is everywhere," Niall eventually told Harry, his ear resting over Harry's heart and letting the soothing sound of his beat calm him down.

"Well I am pretty famous."

"Dick," Niall giggled and shook his head. "Wish you were my problem, but Corey, my first ex. I never told you about him, but he was awful. Long story short, I got a restraining order against him and he was sent to jail for a bit for beating me."

"And I'm guessing he's back now?"

"He's literally everywhere I go. He was at the club I was in earlier and he was at my school the other day. I'm just scared, H. I don't want him back," Niall told Harry who ran a hand through Niall's hair and getting rid of the tangles along the way.

"You should go to the police then, this is really serious," Harry told Niall with his voice full of concern for the blonde. He didn't want anything happening him and hearing about his ex is making Harry want to wrap his arms around Niall and keep him safe from the bad guy.

"I know and trust me, I would, but I know what they'll say. The first time I went to the police years ago they told me that they'd keep an eye out and whatever but never did anything until Shawn had to call them after he found me bruised and bloody. The police won't care as long as he isn't hurting me," Niall explained in exasperation as he sat up straight and put his face in his hands. "I'm sorry for coming, I just really needed a friend."

"Hey, it's no problem. This will always be your home and you know you can count on me," Harry told Niall as he rubbed his back. "I honestly feel a bit more better after our talk knowing that you came here even after everything."

"Sure we could have ended things on a better term, but you'll always be so important to me and gaining your friendship again is something that I really want. Yeah I'm still hurt, but I could never hate you, Harry, never," Niall tells him softly as he lifts his head to look at Harry with bright blue eyes.

"And you'll always be important to me too."

Niall smiled as Harry kissed his forehead again like after their talk.

"Come on, you can stay here for the night. I don't want you driving this late," Harry says as he stands up and grabs Niall's hand to lead him to the stairs. "Especially knowing he's out there and all."

"Somethings never change," Niall joked with a large grin on his face that he tried to hide by keeping his head down.

Harry took the blonde into the guest room and Niall smiled at the memories that flooded as he stared at the pale yellow painted walls.

_"We're literally arguing over paint," Niall sighed though there was a fond smile on his face as Harry searched through the various colors. "Babe, we'd agreed on yellow."_

_"And I know that, but there's like 50 shades of yellow," Harry told Niall as he turned to look at the blonde who laughed. "I don't want a bright yellow, I want a light yellow and I'm torn between these two."_

_"Just take this one, it's cuter and it reminds me of babies," Niall eventually said as he pointed to the paint color to Harry's left._

_"It reminds you of babies? You're so weird, bunny, but alright."_

"Here, you can wear some of my clothes. You haven't grown much, so I don't think my pants will fit," Harry teased the blonde as he walked into the room and Niall scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"More like you've grown another thirty feet. I don't remember having dated a fucking skyscraper," Niall argued and Harry let out a loud laugh as he threw his head back and Niall couldn't help but stare at the handsome man in front of him. Niall hadn't gotten a good look at him back in LA, but Harry had certainly grown since the last time they'd seen each other. "Thanks for doing this."

"It's no problem. I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

Niall nodded and melted into Harry's embrace when the taller lad wrapped his long tattooed arms around Niall. And they were home again in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but Teen Wolf ended last night and I'm so sad there's no more seasons to look forward to. I am mad that we didn't get Stydia at the end, like that's all we've wanted since season one!!
> 
> Also yeah, Narry at the end, but Teen Wolf ;-;


	11. "little angel"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall:** aww, she's being a little angel for her daddy :)

//May 4//

Niall walks into his apartment feeling drained after a long day of school. They're busy cramming for exams and it's crazy how much essays and projects he's been getting now. He's just glad he only has to go through three more weeks of torture before his summer break starts, but then he's going to be spending the summer working on getting practice in the career he's studying.

"You look like death," Niall hears when he walks into his apartment and he frowns before grinning like a mad man and running over to hug his best friend tightly. "Gonna break my bones."

"Very nearly gave me a heart attack so you deserve it, but fuck, I've missed you so much," Niall whispers as he squeezes his eyes shut, his arms around Shawn's shoulders. "Needed you so much."

"I'm here now, yeah?" Shawn soothes the blonde, rubbing his back and hugging him tight.

*

"I finally managed to get Corey off my back," Niall tells Shawn as the two sit curled up together on the couch like when they were younger.

When they were around seven, every time Niall would have a bad day, Shawn would cuddle up with Niall just listening to him talk and doing his best to make him feel better.

"Yeah? Finally. Did you go to the police?" Shawn asked as he ran his fingers through Niall's blonde hair with the brown nearly taking over now.

"Uh well yeah, after this," Niall explains nervously as he pulls away from the comfort and warmth of Shawn's arms to show him what he'd been referring to.

Niall took in a deep breath and pulled down the collar of his shirt, showing off various hickeys and a faint hand shaped bruise around his neck.

"What the fuck happened?" Shawn asked in shock and anger as he examined the blonde.

"I was walking out of Sandra's office three days ago and he cornered me and tried to- you know. Felt like deja vu and he got mad when I started to scream for help and therefore tried to choke me," Niall explained, slapping Shawn's hands away from touching any of the bruises. "Luckily there was a security guard outside who helped me out."

"So he's completely gone now? And why the hell didn't you call me?"

"Yes he's gone. Got another restraining order for a lot longer than the first time and I didn't call you because I knew you'd come over and I couldn't do that to your fans since you're on tour and all."

Shawn sighed and rolled his eyes knowing it'd be impossible to argue with his best friend. Instead he just pulls the blonde back into his arms and the two change topics.

"You know we have a meeting with Sandra and my team tomorrow morning?" Shawn asked and Niall sighed.

"I know. Sandra mentioned awhile ago that our teams were planning something so we could work together on a project. Wonder what they have planned," Niall said as he cuddled back into Shawn.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, but what's with that thing that Liam did that got you so excited?" Shawn asked the blonde after awhile.

"Oh! Well you know I start my final school year in September and for a final project in one of my classes they want us to write a song and record it so I asked Liam if he could ask Julian Bunetta, their songwriter, to let me work with him and others for the summer. So I'll be spending some time in an actual studio getting familiar with things and doing my project so I'm all ready to go for next year!" Niall explained excitedly and Shawn's eyes widened a bit.

"What? That's awesome, Ni! So have you started writing anything?"

"Are you kidding me? I have a whole journal filled, but I'll probably keep those for myself. I wrote most of them from the time shortly before Harry and I broke up to until a few weeks ago when I was still angry and all that."

"And when that song is finished-"

"Not gonna happen, mate. I don't feel comfortable doing that."

"I think you should, you've got a great voice, but whatever you decide to do, you'll always have my support," Shawn told him and Niall mumbled a quiet thanks.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

**"Niall Horan's stalker is actually his ex boyfriend!"**

_'Earlier this week, we learned that the 21 year old Irish model filed for a restraining order against his stalker who was waiting outside for him and attacked the model. Now we have learned that the stalker is none other than his ex boyfriend, Corey Jacobs who was arrested a few years back for domestic violence. We've reached out to Horan's rep, but have not replied back...'_

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//May 5//

Shawn and Niall met up with Sandra and Shawn's team at a conference room in Sandra's office just after breakfast. Niall was glad he didn't have classes that morning, but he was missing a day of working on an essay for this meeting.

"Boys, take a seat," said Shawn's manager, Andrew, with a large grin.

They were sitting at a rectangle shaped table with Sandra at the head, Shawn's team to her left and Niall and Shawn to her right.

"So what do we owe this meeting for?" Shawn asked as he leaned back in his seat with a cup of coffee cradled in his hands.

"Well, we've got various things to discuss about. We've been talking about the possibility for you two to do something together whether it's a photoshoot or something," Sandra started as she smiled reassuringly at the two boys.

"Well we've never been opposed to the idea of doing something together," Niall told her and she nodded. "So what is it that we're doing?"

"Well here's what we've thought, we want Niall to be in your next music video, Shawn," said Andrew as he looked over at Niall with a smile and the blonde opened his eyes a bit wider in surprise. "It would be for the song Treat You Better and we're working with the director to get ideas on the table which you two are more than welcome to pitch in."

"What do you say, Niall? We did say we we're going to start getting you more out there," Sandra told the blonde.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea."

"And Niall, I need to know what you want me to do with Corey's name leaking to the press. I could release a statement or-"

"I-I think it's time I talk about this. I mean, it could help others out there who are going through the same thing or something and I just want to finish this nightmare once and for all," Niall told her honestly and she nodded.

"Very well, then here's what you can do, Wonderland magazine has actually asked for you and Shawn to both be on the cover and do an interview so we can take advantage of the situation and have you talk about Corey on there."

"Sounds like a plan."

"So Shawn, you in for this?" Andrew asked the Canadian singer who nodded.

"I'd be glad to do it. When would this all be? You know since I'll be working on my new album and with the tour still going on and then the music video," Shawn asked Andrew who was looking through his phone.

"Well after your show in Portugal you've got the rest of May and all of June off so we've got time. We'll start with the music video on the fifteenth and the magazine stuff will probably take around three or four days so-"

"Niall's got that thing in New York on the 24th," Sandra reminded Andrew who nodded.

"Think we can schedule the magazine stuff once June starts, so make sure you clear out that first week of June for this," Andrew told both Niall and Shawn who nodded.

"Until then Niall, don't answer anything regarding Corey or even mention the situation via social media."

After their meeting, the two were in a car on their way to the venue for Shawn's concert that night. Niall was staring out the window when he felt his phone vibrate on his lap and he looked down, smiling when he found a text from Harry.

 **Harold:** Trixie thought it'd be fun to roll in the mud in the backyard [image attached]

Niall giggled quietly at the picture of their nearly two year old dog covered in mud and looking particularly happy about it as she posed for a picture. Shawn looked over when he heard Niall giggle and raised an eyebrow at Niall's expression.

 **Niall:** aww, she's being a little angel for her daddy :)

 **Harold:** you little shit

 **Harold:** I gotta go tho, she's heading for the door to go inside

 **Niall:** lol, good luck mate!!

"Why so happy?" Shawn asked the blonde who blushed as he put his phone away.

"You're gonna get mad if I tell you," Niall told him and Shawn furrowed his eyebrows at that. "I've been talking to Harry these last few days and well yeah."

"What?"

"I even spent the night with him, in separate rooms, but I stayed over at his after I had a problem with Corey and I was too scared to go home. I want things between Harry and I to be like they were and we're working on our friendship and in order for things to move on nicely, I need to learn how to trust him again."

"I'm not... mad," Shawn finally says and Niall lets out a small sigh.

"But you're upset. I know I'm taking a risk after everything, but I love him and I just want this mess to end. Want things to go back to before they started falling apart," Niall explained to his best friend who nodded.

"Like I said, I'm not mad. I just want you to be careful, Ni. I don't want to see you like that ever again."

"Thanks and I'm taking it at my pace. I want to be sure of things before getting too far in again."

They reach the venue where Shawn would be playing at that night and are quickly escorted inside, past a crowd of fans who screamed when they saw them. Shawn and Niall both waved at the crowd before heading inside.

"Alright lad, you've got soundcheck in about half an hour and an interview for BBC Radio 1 shortly after that," Andrew said as they walked towards the dressing rooms.

"Sounds good. Ni, are you staying until the show?" Shawn asked the blonde who shook his head.

"I've got a class in an hour, so Basil is coming to get me in a bit and I'll be back half an hour before you hit the stage," Niall told him as they entered Shawn's dressing room where his wardrobe for that night was already waiting. "Have fun, relax and don't answer anything stupid during your interview."

"Dick, just leave before I take you off the list."

Niall laughed and hugged Shawn briefly before leaving.

*

Later that night, Niall watched the show from backstage and sang along to the songs, often recording bits that went up to his Snapchat story. Shawn closed the night with Stitches and then the two were backstage getting ready to head to Niall's place.

"Show was sick, mate," Niall congratulated Shawn with a huge hug and Shawn laughed into the blonde's ear as he hugged him back just as tight.

"You always like the shows, Nialler," Shawn says with a soft chuckle.

"Well I'm being supportive of my best friend, aren't I? What kind of person would I be if I didn't?"

Shawn rolled his eyes as he walked over to get a clean set of clothes.

//May 24//

The days leading up to the Wilde&Danger fashion event launch in New York were long. While Niall and Harry texted at least every two or three days, Niall didn't want to see his ex boyfriend/almost best friend with his beard. Niall learned that Modest! was making Harry be with Kendall for the sole purpose of this event. But Niall really doesn't want to be there since he's certain the media will be on the extra look out for the three to write an article about some love triangle or a spat between the current girlfriend and the ex boyfriend. Yeah, that's going to sell a lot and grant Niall a few more haters along the way because God forbid he ever get into a public argument with the home wrecker. Oh and Shawn's there for moral support and as Niall's plus one.

"Don't look so moody," Shawn warns the blonde as they grab a glass of champagne off of a waiter, the two standing in their own little area in a room full of fashion experts, famous people, models, wannabes and paparazzi.

"I'm jet lagged and I don't quite fancy seeing my ex and his bitch," Niall spat out, finishing his drink in one go. "Might as well drink up for this, lad. It's gonna be a long night."

"You're a mess."

"Aren't I always, love? Maybe if I drink enough I'll die of alcohol poisoning before the thing starts."

Shawn rolled his eyes at his dramatic friend and looked out into the sea of people. Men in suits and fancy watches. Women in long gowns showing too much or not enough and too much expensive jewelry and layers of make up along with fake smiles. It's all quite the scene in the industry.

"Niall, love, meet James Wilde, co-designer of Danger&Wilde," Sandra said as she walked up to them with a guy probably in his mid thirties, large friendly smile and dark blonde hair.

"It's nice to meet you. Really looking forward to seeing all of your designs," Niall speaks as he extends his hand to shake the man's, already charming his way even though he'd been bitching about everything two seconds ago and Shawn is left quite impressed. Niall never ceases to amaze him. Or surprise him.

"The pleasures all mine, Niall. I'm actually a huge fan of all your works so far. You've got quite the endless beauty and talent. You make your photoshoots look so flawless and natural I'm sure a lot of models envy you," James says as he stares at Niall with awestruck brown eyes and Shawn shares a look with Sandra who looks quite happy from the encounter.

"Oh, well, thank you! That's really nice of you," Niall stutters out with surprised eyes and a soft blush dusting over his cheeks, empty champagne glass in hand.

"Camille and I have been talking about you a lot recently and we would love to have you on our team for Fashion Week this year. What do you say?"

"I'd be honored! Thank you so much for considering me. It'll be a pleasure."

"Oh dear, the pleasure is all ours. Now, I'll be in contact with Sandra here to get details sorted and dates and all. I've gotta run since the show starts in ten minutes."

James walked away and Niall and Sandra high five each other before she grabbed a drink and walked off to celebrate with her husband.

"That was the easiest job interview ever," Niall muttered, still a little shocked.

"But you got it though! Oh my gosh!" Shawn exclaimed excitedly as he hugged the blonde tightly.

Niall was on his third glass of champagne when he saw them. They were both making their way through the swarm of paps with Harry's arm around her waist. Her red lips were pulled into a large smile and Niall sighed and shook his head. Shawn had gone to the bathroom so Niall looked like a loser standing there on his own.

"Niall!" Selena shouted excitedly and Niall grinned as he hugged her tight.

"Hiya, love. Been here long?" He asked her, glad for the distraction.

"Not really."

Shawn returned and greeted Selena just as Kendall and Harry got closer to their area. Niall and Harry locked eyes and smiled at each other quickly before turning away to avoid anyone seeing their brief interaction.

The after party for the launch was now in full swing and Niall hadn't noticed how Harry kept looking at him almost all night. Instead, Niall was with Shawn, Selena, and a few other people drinking and having fun.

"I'll be back!" Niall shouted at them over the music and left the group, looking for a door to go outside and catch a bit of fresh air.

"You think you're so great," said a female voice that Niall despised so much and he groaned before turning to face Kendall who was glaring at him with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Well why wouldn't I? I have a great life and I'm happy being single and free! My career is growing and guess what? No ones helping me," Niall told her as he turned to face her, a sarcastic smirk on his face. "Sometimes all you really do need is talent and not money and connections."

"You little bitch-" Kendall hissed but Niall laughed loudly before she could get more out.

"I've been called worse. Far worse. Your threats don't faze me, candle. Now, did you actually need something? You've kind of contaminated my air and I would love to go back inside where my lovely ex boyfriend hasn't stopped staring at me. Must be nice, huh? To be just an accessory. To know that he's still in love with me. To know that you'll never be anything but a beard to him."

Niall smiled and rubbed her arm before heading back inside. He walked past Harry and Niall only smirked before going up to Shawn and gluing himself to the Canadian's side.

"Where were you? Thought you'd just gone to the bathroom?" Shawn asks as he wraps an arm around Niall's shoulders.

"Went outside for some air and bumped into my new best friend, Kendall," Niall answers as he thanks Selena who hands him a drink.

"Your what?" She questioned in confusion.

"Well there was a pap outside and he managed to take a few pictures of the two of us talking and I laughed at some point so expect that story in the media tomorrow."

"That's going to go down great. Harry Styles' ex and his current girlfriend best friends," Shawn commented as he nodded. "Has a nice ring to it."

"I just feel satisfied knowing Harry's paid more attention to me than her."

Selena laughed and Shawn rolled his eyes.

Awhile later Niall was heading towards the bathrooms when he bumped into someone. He let out a small gasp and then a drunken giggle before he looked up and smiled wide when he saw Harry staring down at him in amusement.

"Harry, mate!" Niall cheered as he hugged the taller lad who laughed and hugged him back, neither noticing the person who snapped a picture of the two, flash included, before scurrying away.

"Such a pleasure to bump into you. You look beautiful tonight, as usual," Harry tells the blonde once they pull away, watching the way Niall blushes and bites his bottom lip.

"And you look handsome, but you'd be even more handsome if you didn't have that snake wrapped around you." Harry laughs and leans against the wall.

"True, I'd rather have you next me."

"Maybe some other day," Niall told him a little more serious and suddenly not so drunk, a soft smile on his face as he reached a hand up to cup Harry's face and stroke his thumb against Harry's cheekbone. "I gotta use the bathroom, but it was nice bumping into you. Literally."

"Same. Take care and I'll see you soon?" Harry asked the blonde a little unsurely.

"Soon," Niall echoed and pulled his hand away from Harry before heading into the bathroom.

Shawn and Niall left shortly after the blonde's bathroom break and Niall couldn't help but let out a soft dreamy little sigh as he thought back to his short encounter with Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My twitter's a mess and I wanna delete tweets, but I'm too lazy to scroll through it all. Also I forgot it was Thursday so I almost didn't update, but here ya go :)


	12. "you cheating"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **shawnmendes:** @niallhoran are you cheating on me?!?! how could you!

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//May 25//

[picture of Harry and Niall hugging at the event]

1,527 likes

 **NarryUpdates:** Guys! Narry hugged last night at the Danger &Wilde event and this is doing things to my heart!!!

View all 121 comments

 **imissnarry:** I don't wanna get my hopes up, but agdkajd I'm so happy I wanna cry!

 **MendesMyLove:** can they get back together now? Like please?

*

**"Harry Styles' ex boyfriend shares a laugh with Kendall Jenner"**

_'The fashion launch of Danger &Wilde was held last night in New York City and was a star studded event. From Bella Hadid to Blake Lively, the event was a success. Harry Styles was also in attendance with his girlfriend Kendall Jenner and his ex, Irish model Niall Horan, was also present at the show with Shawn Mendes. What caught all of us by surprise though, was the friendly chat that Jenner and Horan had outside where they even shared a laugh. "It seemed like there were no hard feelings over what happened," says a witness at the event that caught the two laughing. "They talked for awhile and eventually Niall headed inside all the while being friendly with her." They weren't the only two that were friendly last night. Niall Horan and Harry Styles were caught hugging and having a chat as if nothing had happened...'_

//May 26//

[selfie of Niall with Shawn in the background sticking his tongue out]

Liked by louist91, camila_cabello, Aria_Martin and 211,892 others

 **niallhoran:** Work buddies for the next two weeks...

View all 17,299 comments

 **Horan.Mendes.Shawn:** is it a song?! please say it's a song...

 **Aria_Martin:** You're going to be a pain in my ass these next two weeks, aren't ya??

 **niallhoran:** @Aria_Martin duh, what kind of friend would I be

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//May 26//

Niall's sitting alone at the bar just looking around with a drink in hand. It's still full and the ice in it is slowly melting, but Niall can't bring himself to drink it. His blue eyes scan the busy pub trying to spot the person he's looking for. Music's playing loudly and it's starting to give him a headache. Suddenly there's a hand being pressed to his back and it makes him jump, but he slowly relaxes when he looks up and sees his boyfriend smiling down at him. The taller lad leans down to press his lips against Niall's for a quick peck.

"Sorry I was gone for so long. The loser got lost on his way over," he explained and Niall laughed and shook his head fondly.

_The video shoot got held back a week because the director had some personal business to attend to so now they were heading to Canada where the shoot would be taking place and the magazine stuff got pushed back for a bit._

_"Boys, I want you two to meet Oliver Brookes. He'll be playing Niall's boyfriend and your rival, Shawn," the director, Sam Thompson, explains as he stands in front of Niall and Shawn with another taller lad with his light golden brown hair styled up in a quiff._

_"Nice to meet you," both Shawn and Niall told Oliver who smiled and nodded politely._

_"Now, you three get to know each other before we start filming the first scenes in two hours. And study your dialogue. It's to help you better act out the scenes even though over nearly everything will be muted over in the final product," Sam tells them as he hands the three a very thin packet of maybe three pages with their dialogue in it._

_"Alright alright," Niall tells Sam with a sigh and roll of his eyes, though there's a smile on Niall's face that makes Sam laugh and shake his head before walking away. "Alright boys, you heard the man."_

Shawn walks into the pub fixing his leather jacket, eyes scanning the room for the two people he was supposed to meet over an hour ago but he'd gotten lost on the way. He has a smile on his face when he spots them, but then it slips lightly when he sees them kissing and that familiar jealous feeling returns with full force. He lets out a small sigh and then continues to walk over to them, smile back on his face but forced. The couple break away and smile up at Shawn.

"You finally made it!" Oliver shouts in glee as he pats Shawn's shoulder and the Canadian lad laughs and shakes his head before his eyes land on Niall who stands up to hug him.

"Didn't know you could get lost in a small town like this," Niall teases Shawn playfully.

"Well not my fault you two ran away to the middle of fucking nowhere," Shawn tells them, his hand slipping down to Niall's waist for a bit before pulling the blonde away from him. Oliver was watching after all with those intense blue-ish gray eyes.

_They're in Canada, about half an hour away from Shawn's hometown. The video location was chosen by the director and they'd be filming in a pub and a motel. They'd arrived the day before and had spent a day bonding in town over coffee, just Niall, Shawn and Oliver._

Oliver and Niall were arguing in the car which was parked at the motel. It wasn't unusual for the two to be fighting and Shawn knew it. Oliver has always been trouble. He'd followed them to the motel, hoping to get a chance to talk to Niall and make him see that this was a bad idea. That running away with an abusive boyfriend was bound to bring him consequences. He was sitting in his car, hidden well so they wouldn't see him but enough for him to see what was happening.

He sat up, alert, when he saw Niall get out of the car and slam the car door angrily before racing off towards the stairs. Oliver followed seconds later, he too angry and if this were a cartoon, Shawn was sure there'd be steam flowing from his ears and his face would be beat red. And Shawn took that as his cue to get out of his car and follow them.

"Let me go!" Niall shouted, Shawn being able to detect the fear in his voice and it only made him run faster to where Oliver was gripping Niall's arm tightly and dragging him towards their room.

"Hey!" Shawn shouted angrily.

"The fuck are you doing here?!" Oliver shouted angrily as he turned to glare at Shawn who was now two feet away from the couple. His hand was still wrapped tightly around Niall whose blue eyes were wide in fear.

"I'm here because I love Niall and I can't let you hurt him again!" Shawn shouted back, surprised none of the people walked out of their rooms to check out the commotion. "I can't let you keep hurting the guy I'm in love with."

"W-What?" Niall stuttered out in shock, flinching when thunder rumbled above them and lightning flashed five seconds later.

And Oliver didn't like that. Not at all. In a fit of rage, he let out a soft growl before shoving Niall back and the blonde tripped on his feet and fell to the ground, watching Oliver lunge at Shawn who dodged his punch.

_"But like, I'm scared of hurting anyone," Oliver told the director after they read over the script and Niall smiled reassuringly at the young actor. The kid was only eighteen and still so new to this, eyes shining with a bit of fear._

_"Don't be scared, we're not going to hold anything against you," Shawn reassured Oliver who looked slightly better by that statement._

_"You might wanna start getting used to it. You'll do a lot more things as your career grows," Sam tells Oliver._

It had started to rain and Niall was frozen as he watched his boyfriend and best friend get dangerously close to the slippery wet stairs as they kept throwing punch after punch. He got up from the ground and screamed as Shawn slipped down the stairs and landed on the ground. Unmoving.

"Shawn!" Niall screamed, voice cracking with emotion as he kept his gaze on his friend's unmoving body.

"Don't you fucking dare," Oliver growled at Niall, holding the blonde back when he went to go down the stairs.

"You could have killed him!" Niall shouted, tears now rolling down his cheeks as struggled to break free from Oliver's strong grip.

"You're not going anywhere. You're mine and you belong here with me," Oliver told Niall, pinning the blonde to a wall and kissing down his neck roughly.

_"W-Wait!" Niall shouted suddenly with real fear lacing his voice and the director yelled cut as Oliver quickly stepped away from the panicked blonde._

_"Niall? What's wrong, lad?" Sam questioned as he watched Niall slide down the wall and shake his head._

_"Shit, okay. Can we have about ten-ish minutes?" Shawn asked as he raced towards the blonde, already guessing what was wrong. It hadn't happened anymore since that time in the club with Harry, but the blonde had recently had a nightmare involving both Corey and that guy from the restaurant that had tried to rape him._

_Shawn and Niall were given their space after Aria had brought a water bottle for the blonde. Niall took in a few deep breaths and drank the water before deciding he was ready to go despite Shawn's protests._

"I don't belong to you, nor anyone," Niall hissed angrily, and with the little strength he could muster up, shoved Oliver away before running down the stairs to check on Shawn who was just starting to sit up.

Shawn looked into Niall's eyes, blinking away the rain drops that landed on his eyelashes. Niall was kneeling next to him with bloodshot eyes and a shaky hand reaching out to cup his wet cheek. Behind Niall, Oliver was shouting things that neither cared too much about at the moment. The rain falling down on them didn't matter either. Nor did the cold night.

"I'm sorry," Niall whispered, though he had no idea why he was apologizing. Maybe for his ex boyfriend's behavior. Maybe for almost getting killed in the process of defending Niall. He didn't know, but it felt like the right thing to say at the moment.

Shawn shook his head, though he maintained eye contact with the blonde whose hair was all stuck to his forehead.

_Oliver and Niall were walking around as Shawn did the scenes where he sang. They were doing the scenes in the motel room first and well it was a small room so only the director, camera man and another person were there._

_"Did you always want to be an actor?" Niall asked Oliver as they sat near the rental car Shawn was going to be using._

_"Not always. I started to want to be an actor about a year ago and I did my first audition then as an extra for some TV show that wasn't all that popular. Since then I've done a few small commercials and just about three weeks ago my manager told me if I'd be up for this role and I said yes," Oliver told Niall with a small shy shrug._

"I love you too," Niall told Shawn, their gaze still locked together and lips inches away from each other. "Always have."

Shawn let a small smile grace his face before leaning forward and pressing his lips softly against Niall's.

 ** _"And... cut!"_** Sam shouted and Niall and Shawn pulled away, hugging each other and then standing up. Unfortunately the rain was real and not the way the video had been planned, but Niall thought it looked way more dramatic with the rain.

"I didn't hit you guys too hard, right?" Oliver asked worriedly as he joined the two on the ground level as some people from the crew hurried over with umbrellas though they were already soaking wet so it didn't even matter anymore.

"Mate, stop worrying about it," Niall told Oliver with a laugh.

"Guess I'm never going to get used to this part of the job."

Shawn laughed and shook his head, the three being whisked away to get dried and changed before they all got sick.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/ * ~ ~ ~**

//May 29//

 **Daily Mail Celebrity @DailyMailCeleb:** Shawn Mendes and Niall Horan caught kissing in the rain! [link]

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Well that's bullshit.

*

[picture of Oliver with his arms around Niall's waist and lips nearly touching]

Liked by shawnmendes, niallhoran and 82,197

 **OliverBrookes:** @niallhoran so does this mean we're dating as well? #work #tb

View all 726 comments

 **niallhoran:** guess so, mate!! Haha !! I do miss you tho

 **shawnmendes:** @niallhoran are you cheating on me?!?! how could you!

 **HoranHugs:** my babies shooting down rumors in the best way since day one, lol

*

[picture of Niall and Shawn kissing]

1,029 likes

 **enews:** PDA alert! The two besties were caught sharing a romantic kiss under the rain, but fear not Narry shippers! The two were actually on set for Mendes' new music video in which seems that Horan is his love interest - link in bio for the full story!

VIew all 103 comments

 **Queen.Ari:** Least the whole mess was cleared up because the picture was seriously taken out of context

 **MendesMyLove:** I wouldn't mind if they actually dated, but Narry's my number one

//June 3//

 **Shawn Mendes @ShawnMendes:** My new single 'Treat You Better' is available now! Hope you like it!!

*

 **Niall News @NiallerNews:** Niall and Shawn were seen arriving at LAX this morning [image attached]

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/ * ~ ~ ~**

"So the video shoot was fun?"

"It was. Had a great time with Shawn and Oliver is a great guy, it's just that picture that leaked. Which is weird because it's the only picture of the whole video shoot that leaked," Niall told the person on the other end of his phone conversation as he moved around his hotel room trying to find something to do.

"Have you guys considered it coming from someone that worked the shoot?"

"Possibly, Shawn's dealing with that right now."

"Shouldn't you be with him?"

"I'd rather be talking to you, Haz," Niall says softly and blushes, thankful that there's no one in his room.

"I'm flattered."

It's quiet for about a minute, but it's no longer an awkward silence like when they first started talking through the phone. It's a good kind of quiet and Niall sits on the couch in his room as he hears Louis' voice on the other line shouting something that makes Harry sigh.

"What's wrong with Lou?" Niall asks in amusement.

"He's being Louis. Giving poor Liam a hard time," Harry replies and Niall giggles.

"Poor Li."

Niall's hotel room door opens and a slightly mad Canadian walks in.

"Gotta go, there's an angry Canadian in my room so the meeting probably didn't go too well," Niall tells Harry who laughs.

"Alright, Nialler. Talk to you soon."

Niall hangs up and watches Shawn sit on the bed before standing up after a few seconds and going over to sit next to Niall.

"Are you okay?" Niall asked him with a slight laugh.

"No not really because my management intended on starting those rumors for more promo," Shawn explains as he runs a hand through his curls. "And now they're mad because we both denied those rumors and so did Sandra."

"Sandra was aware then?"

"Yeah, she's the one who told E! News the truth and thankfully that's causing enough buzz for the video so hopefully my management won't have to keep making up rumors. I mean, I really shouldn't be surprised since they did this with Camila as well."

"It's fine mate, no harm done. I know it's not the best thing in the world, but as long as they don't blow it up even more or force us to actually pretend that we are dating, then we're in the safe."

"I know, but they do things behind my back and I hate it." Shawn sighed as he leaned back on the couch. "Who were you talking to?"

"Harry. They're heading off to Cardiff to continue the tour and with touring well it's gonna be a bit hard to keep up," Niall replies as he sets his legs over Shawn's lap. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing or not, but I really want this to work again."

"I'm sure things will work out just fine and then you two will go back to being disgustingly cute with each other."

Niall kicked him playfully.

//June 4//

"Alright so the questions have been pre-approved by both your teams, but if there's something that you don't feel comfortable asking just tell me and we can skip over it," said Danielle, the girl who would be interviewing the two who nodded. "And Niall, I know you want to talk about your ex, but how much you want to share is up to you and Sandra helped with the questions."

"Thank you," Niall told both Danielle and his manager, looking over at the woman sitting on a chair behind Danielle with Andrew.

"Let's kick this off with an easy and more fun question, how did you two meet? I mean, you two being from different countries and all," Danielle asked them with a smile, her phone on the coffee table between them recording the interview.

"Funny story, we actually hated each other," Niall starts off with a laugh and Shawn makes a face. Danielle smiles wide and her eyes show off her surprise at the answer.

"I wouldn't say hate, it's such a strong word Nialler," Shawn corrects his best friend who scoffs. "We actually met because our dads worked at the same company so we kind of relocated to Ireland for a bit and I was around 3 and he was 4 and obnoxious. Our dads quickly became friends, so often our families would get together to hang out and eventually they forced us to become friends and here we are like fifteen years later."

"Seventeen, mate, but yeah."

Danielle giggled at the pair and went on to her next question. The questions were mostly directed at both, but then one was for Shawn asking him about his music and another was for Niall asking him about his modeling career.

"These last few months have been filled with a lot of things from your break up with Harry Styles to your stalker getting arrested just recently, but it was leaked to the press that your stalker was actually an ex boyfriend of yours. It's a topic that you've never talked about, is it a difficult topic for you?" Danielle asking, trying to sound as encouraging and gentle as possible.

"It's not something I like to talk about," Niall eventually says as he looks down at his lap trying to gather his thoughts.

"I don't either," Shawn mumbles angrily, but reaches over to grab Niall's hand to offer him some comfort and support.

"Uh I was fifteen when we met but we didn't start dating until shortly after I turned sixteen. He was nice for about three, maybe four months? And then he got mad over little things like if I was late walking out of class or if he thought I was being too friendly with other guys. His change in behavior really surprised me," Niall says as he looks up at Danielle who nods but otherwise looks completely serious as opposed to a few minutes ago when the three had been joking around. "At first I thought he was in a bad mood because that's when his parents started to get divorced so I shrugged it off. A month later he got more verbal, throwing insults almost daily by that point but it didn't get physical until six months into our relationship.

It was small at first, just grabbing my arm too tight but then after a particularly bad fight, he slapped me and it all escalated and got out of control after that. One afternoon I was supposed to be heading to Shawn's house, but Corey held me back and he was jealous, we argued and he lost it. He sent me to the hospital that day with fractured ribs, a black eye, busted lip and other painful injuries. Uh Shawn was the one to find me and I told the police and Corey got a five year restraining order and went to jail for a bit so I thought I'd be in the free. His restraining order was up back in March, but before that he'd been stalking me through someone else and long story short the story nearly repeated itself."

The interview ends shortly after, and when it does, Niall can't help but wrap his arms around Shawn who in return holds him tightly.

"That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Niall tells him.

"But you did it and I'm proud of you, yeah? Speaking up about it can help others," Shawn tells him as he lowers his head to bury his face into the blonde's shoulder, trying to shake off those images of his best friend nearly unconscious and covered in blood and bruises.

Niall honestly doesn't know what he would do without his best friend in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I've got no words to express how I feel over what happened in Las Vegas. My beautiful hometown suffered a mass shooting and I might be living miles away from the city where I was born in and where I lived through most of my childhood, but I'm hurting too. This world is honestly getting so terrifying.


	13. "pretty wild"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall:** yeah yeah, besides, I have to stay sober anyways. These guys can get pretty wild.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/ * ~ ~ ~**

//June 9//

**"It's all over between Kendall Jenner and Harry Styles"**

_'That's right! The couple who began dating in, well officially in February, have apparently ended their short romance. The couple reportedly went their separate ways a few days ago due to distance. "Things were never serious between them," a friend close to Kendall tells us exclusively. "Neither were looking to make it serious, seeing as Harry had just come out of a nearly two year relationship with Niall."..._

*

 **Jasmine @JazzyxHoran:** So can we officially say that Hendall is over??

 **Hendall Updates @HendallUpdates:** I honestly don't think they broke up, rumors always come and go

//June 27//

 **Niall J. Horan @DailyNialler:** "It was a nightmare. I feared for my life all the time." Niall on his ex boyfriend for Wonderland.

 **Wonderland Magazine @wonderlandmag:** @ShawnMendes and @NiallOfficial grace the cover of our new issue! Pre-order now -- >> [link]

*

[picture of Niall and Shawn's front cover magazine]

1,317 likes

 **ShiallUpdates:** The boys on the cover for Wonderland Magazine looking hot as fuck!! You can pre-order the issue on the link in our bio and you can read a snippet of their interview on their website.

View all 107 comments

 **softnouis_:** hot damn they look so damn good!! The interview made me a bit sad tho. Poor Niall :(

 **NaomiStylinson:** ok but did anyone see Harry like and then unlike a picture of just Niall from the shoot ?? No? Ok.

 **NarryFeels:** @NaomiStylinson I did!! Got me so excited and then so sad, my narrents are rising tho. Slowly but surely ;-;

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/ * ~ ~ ~**

Niall's been in LA for about a week now working with Julian on some songs. And even though he's written some, they don't make him think like that's the one for his project. Niall's excited though because the boys are flying in in two days before starting their North American leg of the tour and the only one who knows Niall's working with Julian is Liam. He's double checked with him to make sure he hasn't told the others.

"Okay so I started writing this, but I'm gonna need your genius help," Niall told Julian as he batted his eyelashes at the man who laughed.

"Alright lad, let's see what you've got," Julian says as he takes Niall's notebook and starts scanning over the first few lines. " _I wanna write you a song. One as beautiful as you are sweet. With just the hint of pain for the feeling that I get when you are gone. I wanna write you a song._ Sounds good so far. Is this going to be for your project?"

"I'd like for it to be, but something just doesn't feel quite right yet. Maybe once it's done I'll be able to see if it will be or not."

"Okay good. Uh so would you be willing to write songs for FOUR, then?" Julian asked the blonde who looked a bit shocked. "You've done this before Niall."

"I know, but back then it was just that I didn't even think any of my songs would make it. Now you're asking me to write for FOUR?"

"So that's a yes?" Julian asked in amusement.

"Fine," Niall sighed out, but there was a small smile on his face.

It's nearly ten at night when Niall reaches his apartment, the one he's renting for however long he's staying in LA to work with Julian and the other guys that usually work with FOUR, though he knows that sometimes they travel to wherever the band is work. He wasn't about to stay in a hotel.

"Oh I'm so tired," Niall moaned out as he flopped down on the couch. It wasn't that late, they'd stayed at the studio a lot later a few days ago, but the blonde hasn't been sleeping well and all he wants is to finally get a full night's sleep.

//June 31//

"Irish, open up!" An Australian voice rang out as they knocked on the front door of Niall's apartment.

Niall groaned and got up from his couch to go open the door, not really all that surprised to find all four members of 5 Seconds of Summer. He groans but lets them in.

"What's wrong with you?" Luke asked as he hugs the blonde.

"I've had a headache all day and I had to call in sick at work," Niall mumbles half into Luke's chest before breaking away from the taller lad.

"Well too bad because we came to drag you out to celebrate with us!" Michael told Niall, pushing the blonde towards his bedroom.

"Celebrate what? You guys haven't finished a tour or anything."

"Well we're releasing a new song soon and we want to celebrate with you before it comes out. And because we want you to have a nice night out with friends and possibly meet someone," Ashton piped up with a large smile as he began to put an outfit together for the blonde while Calum helped.

"Guys, really. I've been working until well past midnight these last few days and I'd rather just have a night at home for once," Niall told them, trying to get out of going out with his friends but it was obvious they weren't going to take no for an answer.

"Please?" Calum begged, using his best puppy dog look and Niall caved in. Saying no to Calum was like trying to tell Liam no. It was difficult.

After Niall got dressed and then dragged out of his apartment, they headed to The Nice Guy for a kind of late dinner. It was still too early to hit any clubs and Luke had decided that he was hungry and then Michael said he wanted to go to their usual go to restaurant.

"Where's your girlfriend?" Niall asked Luke, the two sitting next to each other at the restaurant.

"With some friends, I think. We got into a fight yesterday and I'd rather let things cool off before talking to her again," Luke explained with a small shrug.

"I'm sorry love."

Luke smiled at Niall and got dragged into an argument between Ashton and Michael over pizza. Niall rolled his eyes though there was a smile on his face. His other boys and his Australian boys were so different, yet so similar.

"So Nialler, any new boys?" Mikey asked the blonde, wiggling his eyebrows at Niall who shook his head with a laugh.

"No, not right now. Been working too much and I've barely even had time to sleep or actually settle into that apartment. Though I've been thinking about buying a house here," Niall tells them.

"Well, you tell me and we can be neighbors," Calum told him as the waiter arrived with their food.

After dinner, the five head out of the restaurant and groan when they see paps outside. Flashes start going off almost right away and Niall ends up bumping into Ashton because of the blinding lights. Ashton looks back at Niall and wraps an arm around the blonde to help guide him through the chaos.

They reach a club at half past ten and head inside quickly, going off to find a table at the VIP section before they order drinks. Niall sat at the table for the first half an hour, just texting whoever was willing to entertain him. He didn't want to bother Harry, not knowing where the curly haired lad was at the moment, though he knew they should be arriving in LA soon since they're book to go into the studio on July second to hopefully start recording and finishing the writing process. He was glad that Shawn was willing to humor him, but even he knew it was late and his best friend was most likely going to bed soon.

 **Shawn:** Where are you anyways??

 **Niall:** Club in LA with the 5SOS boys, but I'm really not feeling it. Feeling kinda sick and I've gotta go work in the morning

 **Shawn:** don't stay up too late, and if you feel worse than leave.

 **Niall:** yeah yeah, besides, I have to stay sober anyways. These guys can get pretty wild.

 **Niall:** I'll leave you to it, mate. See you soon??

Niall honestly didn't know when he'd be seeing Shawn again, especially with his tour starting back up again and now that he's doing promo for his new single still. The longest they've gone without seeing each other is three months, and those three months had been the longest because Niall really needs his best friend a little more on some days.

 **Shawn:** you know it ;)

Niall rolled his eyes and finished the remainder of his beer as he tucked his phone away just as Luke walked over to sit next to him with a large grin.

"Why aren't you out there flirting with guys or something?" Luke asked Niall in a teasing tone.

"Can I tell you something?" Niall asked Luke who nodded quickly, giving the Irish lad a friendly smile. "But don't tell the other boys."

"My lips are sealed, mate. What's up?"

"Harry and I have been talking for awhile now."

"What?! No way!" Luke exclaimed happily. "So things are good between you guys?"

"Yeah, they really are. We've been talking and we plan to take things slowly so we've both been avoiding like the whole flirting with other people thing."

"My dads are getting back together, I'm so happy," Luke fake cried and hugged Niall who laughed loudly but hugged the tall Australian lad back. "But still, you're here to have fun so how about since we're both single tonight, you be my date."

"Mm deal," Niall told him with a laugh and let Luke pull him away from the table and towards the crowded dance floor.

All Niall wanted was to have fun, he, however, didn't plan for his night to end in a trip to the emergency room.

//July 1 - 03:53 AM//

"Alright Niall, you've got a fractured ankle," the doctor told Niall as she walked in with his X-Rays.

"Great," Niall sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Now what?"

"Well you won't require a cast, so that's definitely good, but you will need to use a boot for the next six weeks at least and use crutches for the first two. I don't want you putting much pressure on it so stay off of your foot," the doctor warned Niall who nodded in understanding.

"Well that's definitely better than a cast."

"You don't live in LA right?" She asked as she set his X-Rays down and looked through Niall's information.

"No, but I'll probably be here for awhile."

"Alright. So a nurse is getting your boot and I'll set up an appointment for two weeks from today to check on that ankle. If things are going well then you won't need the crutches, but do keep this boot on."

"Will do.

*

Niall walked out of the room slowly, trying to get the feel of using crutches and being careful to not set his foot down. He walked into the waiting room and smiled tiredly at the four boys sitting around nervously. They stood up right away when they saw the blonde and walked towards him.

"And?" Mikey asked nervously.

"It's not broken, but I do have to wear this for the next six weeks at least," Niall explained as he showed them his left foot.

"And how are you feeling? Does it still hurt?" Calum asked him worriedly.

"No, I got some painkillers and I'm feeling quite drowsy."

"Let's get you home then," Ashton said softly as he placed a hand on Niall's back and the five headed towards the exit.

Niall honestly couldn't remember how it all happened, but one second he was heading to get a drink and the next he was in pain. He remembers stepping on something that rolled underneath him and caused his ankle to twist, so he guesses that's what caused all this. Either way, he was glad that the boys acted quickly and took him to the hospital despite his protests.

*

"What happened to you, lad?" Julian asked with raised eyebrows as Niall walked in, eyeing the crutches and boot on Niall's left foot.

"Not really sure, but I'm stuck wearing this for at least six weeks," Niall replies as he walks over to the couch and sits down after setting his crutches against the wall and away from anyone.

"Then shouldn't you be resting?"

"Probably, doctor didn't exactly tell me. Just said I'd need to go back in two weeks so I'm guessing I'm okay?"

"Alright then. Liam called, said they'd be in tomorrow. They get here in the late afternoon," Julian told Niall who nodded and looked up as the rest of the guys walked in, all smiling and then asking Niall questions.

He certainly wasn't getting off easily when Harry and Shawn saw his foot. Definitely not.

//July 2//

Niall's busy strumming his guitar trying to figure out a bridge he's been stuck on for the past hour or two, so he didn't hear or see his four boys walking in.

"Niall?" Someone called out in confusion and the blonde looked up, smiling wide as he saw them, Liam smiling wide and the other three looking confused. Very very confused.

"Everything been okay?" Liam asked as he walked over to hug Niall with a large grin on his face and the blonde stood up, standing on his good foot and hugging Liam tightly.

"It's been a lot of fun. Thank you for doing this for me," Niall tells him honestly as he pulls back a bit to be able to stare into Liam's eyes that are shinning with happiness, glad he was able to help his friend.

"Well you are my best friend, glad I could help out."

"Wait, is that why you kissed Payno that one time?" Louis wondered as he walked over to the pair with a smirk as he shoved Liam out of the way, his smirk only getting wider when he heard Harry breath in sharply.

"You guys did what?" Harry asked, but he was ignored as Niall hugged Louis next and then hopped over to Zayn who kissed his temple.

"Oh Haz, it was harmless," Niall tells his ex boyfriend with an innocent smile as he grabs his crutches to head over to Harry since the curly haired lad wasn't walking any closer and Niall couldn't hop forever. He didn't have the best balance and he'd probably end up injuring himself further and then Sandra would kill him.

"Wait, what happened to your foot?" Harry suddenly asked and everyone's attention went down to Niall's foot.

"One question at a time boys, I'm still hyped on painkillers at the moment," Niall warns them, setting his crutches to the side as he wrapped his arms around Harry, burying his face into the taller man's neck. "Missed you."

"Me too, love," Harry says softly as he wraps his arms around Niall's waist and hugged him tightly.

The two pulled away and Harry helped Niall over to the couch the blonde had been sitting on earlier. Zayn grabbed Niall's crutches and placed them near the blonde who thanked him.

"So what happened to your foot?" Louis asked as he tapped the boot on Niall's left foot.

"Went out with the 5SOS boys the other day and I honestly don't know how it happened. Just next thing I knew my ankle hurt and the boys took me to the emergency room and I have to wear this thing for the next six weeks," Niall replied with a shrug. "It's heavy and uncomfortable. And my ankle is still swollen and bruised."

"Must imagine," Zayn replied with a soft smile.

Julian walked in with John, their other songwriter and producer. They all greeted each other and got right down to business almost right away.

"Boys, please tell me you've at least worked on something. You can't expect Niall and I to do everything for you," Julian warns the boys who scoff and fake being hurt.

"Harold and I started working on something back like who knows where we were," Louis said as he flipped through a journal.

Niall leaned into Harry who was sitting next to him and smiled when the curly haired lad wrapped an arm around him.

The first two hours were very unorganized, but a lot of fun. Niall loved being around all four of his boys, but was glad things between him and Harry were doing great. They joked around and with Niall's injured foot, Harry was constantly asking the blonde if he needed help or anything.

"You're so dumb," Niall giggled at something that Harry told him, the two sitting away from the others who were arguing about a lyric change.

"Rude," Harry said with a pout and Niall only laughed harder.

"Look at them, they're so disgustingly cute," Louis grumbled as he looked up at the ex couple who were busy laughing and flirting with each other without really realizing it. "The bad thing is that they don't even know they're making their lovesick eyes at each other."

"I take it things are going slow between them?" Julian asked the boys.

"Too slow, but I get why Niall's so hesitant to want to move things further," Liam says as he crosses something out on his notebook and rewrites something else. "And no we can't meddle, Tommo. They need to work on things on their own."

Louis pouted and went back to work.

"So have you thought about it?" Harry asked Niall, keeping his voice quiet so the conversation was kept between them. He wanted to be selfish for once. He wanted to keep these moments with Niall between the two since they were basically starting over.

"Hmm, don't know," Niall teased Harry, bopping Harry's nose when he pouted. "Alright fine. I'll attend the San Diego show only if you promise to be there for me at Fashion Week."

"It's a deal," Harry told the blonde, holding out his pinkie and smiling wide when Niall linked their little fingers together.

*

"I just wanna sleep for a month straight," Niall groaned as they all headed out of the studio late that night, being careful to not trip or get his crutches stuck somewhere.

"That tired?" Louis asked as he snickered, walking ahead of the blonde and kicking an empty soda cup from Burger King off to the side so Niall wouldn't step on it.

"Yeah. I usually stay up until late, trying to write a song for my project, but I can't come up with anything. I mean, I'm writing but almost everything is going towards your stupid album," Niall says with a playful tone and Louis turns to look at him with a glare that makes Niall laugh loudly.

"Well, we'll make sure to write an extra long thank you in the book," Zayn told the blonde.

"Appreciate it."

Louis started up a different conversation while Harry walked behind Niall just in case. Niall gasped as he didn't quite placed his right crutch on the ground correctly because of the uneven pavement and was about to tumble forward when Harry, bless his long limbs, was quick to react and wrap his arms around his waist from behind. Niall ended up hissing though as he placed some of his weight on his bad foot.

"You okay?" Harry asked worriedly as Liam quickly took the crutches that had fallen on the ground.

"Yeah, just, this fucking sucks. I want these two weeks to be over," Niall grumbled, an arm around Harry's shoulders to help him stay upright.

Harry reached into Niall's back pocket and grabbed his car keys, making the blonde squeak and blush bright red before whining, "Harry!"

"I'm driving you home, love," was all Harry said before he picked up Niall bridal style which made the blonde complain and blush even brighter.

"Aww, look at Prince Charming," Louis teased, taking the crutches from Liam and placing them under his arms. "Neil, how do you work these things? And they hurt."

"I don't want your sweaty pits on my crutches, Lewis," Niall warned the older lad who scoffed but kept trying to work them. "Wait, Harry, you don't have to do this. How will you get home?"

"Don't worry, I'll call Preston to pick me up," Harry reassured the blonde in a tone that told him that there was no use arguing over it. Niall simply sighed and relaxed in Harry's arms, not wanting to admit that he was enjoying being carried around by his ex boyfriend.

"Alright Niall, take care of yourself," Liam tells the blonde as they reach Niall's car. "If you need anything, we're only a call away."

"Thanks, Li," Niall told him with a soft smile.

They all said their goodbyes and Harry set Niall in the passenger seat, pressing a kiss to his head before going around to get to the driver's side of the car. Harry got in and closed the door, starting the car and letting Niall fiddle with the radio.

"I need your address, love," Harry reminded Niall with a soft chuckle.

"Oh yeah," Niall said and told Harry his address.

Once at Niall's apartment, Niall invites Harry inside and the two sit on the couch as Harry waits for his ride.

"Can I invite you out for breakfast tomorrow? I mean, it doesn't have to be more than just two friends getting together to talk or whatever," Harry rambled nervously and Niall giggled.

"I'll say yes, only if we can make it a date," Niall told Harry with confidence and a bright smile on his face which made Harry's heart race in excitement.

"Y-You really want it to be a date?" Harry asked Niall, wanting to make sure that Niall was okay with it all.

"Yeah. I really do, so you, Harry Styles, better make it a good one."

"I promise I will!" Harry promised Niall as he hugged him out of excitement. Now he was really looking forward to tomorrow.

"Oh and can we keep this between us for now? We're starting over and I don't want to get the boys' hopes up so soon or let the rest of the world know. I'd rather we work on strengthening our relationship first and then we'll move on from there."

"Sounds perfect to me. I'd rather keep you all to myself anyways."

Niall blushed and shook his head fondly. He was doing this. He really was doing this again and he really hopes he doesn't end up regretting it. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Whispers* Narry's coming...


	14. "a spider"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Shawn:** see a spider again?

//July 3//

Niall wanted to cry. Mainly because he was sick tired of using the crutches and also because he couldn't find anything to wear and he was beyond nervous. Niall decided to text Shawn in hopes that his best friend could help him.

 **Niall:** SOS!!

 **Shawn:** see a spider again?

 **Niall:** No, asshole. I'm going on a date and I'm freaking out

Shawn didn't reply, but fifteen seconds later and Niall's phone was ringing with Shawn's name on the screen. Niall rolled his eyes but answered anyways, keeping his eyes on the clock to make sure he wouldn't be late.

"A date? With who? Not with Bressie, right?" Shawn asked Niall right away.

"Hello to you too, my dear best friend whom I love oh so very much," Niall greeted him sarcastically and Shawn sighed on the other line, quickly greeting Niall before asking the same questions again. "Yes a date and I'm not telling you and it's not Bressie since, hi babe, I'm in LA and he's not and we haven't exactly been on speaking terms."

"It's not Ashton Irwin, right? Think The Sun published an article about you guys getting cozy."

"No and since when do you listen to gossip? I'm not telling you right now though. We both agreed that we wanted to keep this between us for a bit, to see where it all goes," Niall explained as he ended up grabbing a pair of light blue skinny jeans and ended up dropping his crutches in the process, making him groan. "Fucking shit. I'm sick of this."

"Uh you okay?" Shawn asked worriedly.

"Yeah, just dropped my crutches and I'm terribly uncoordinated to be standing on one foot," Niall grumbled angrily as he threw his pants onto his bed and bent down to pick them up, nearly falling forward on his face.

"Your what? Niall Horan, what happened now?" Shawn asked him with a sigh and Niall giggled. "Do I seriously have to keep you in a bubble?"

"Would be nice, but long story short, I'm stuck wearing an ugly ass boot for at least six weeks. Honestly though, I don't really know how it happened so just roll with it, just like my ankle did."

After many reassurances from Shawn that things would go great and all, Niall was dressed and ready to go by nine, just as the doorbell went off. Niall quickly went over and opened the door, laughing when he saw a giant light grey stuffed rabbit covering Harry from head to upper thighs.

"Hello Mr Horan, would you mind taking in a poor stray like me?" Harry asked in a high pitched voice as he waved the rabbit's left arm around, only making Niall giggle more.

"You're so silly," Niall told Harry in between giggles and Harry lowered the rabbit, a large grin on his face.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked a bit nervously as he looked down at the rabbit.

"I love it, thank you. I would take it, but uh my hands are kinda busy."

"No worries, bunny, I'll just put this on the couch and then we'll head off for breakfast, yeah?"

Niall nodded and stepped aside to let Harry in, cheeks red at hearing his old nickname. Harry walked back over with a smile and then the two were off.

"So where are we going?" Niall asked as he stared out the window and watching the city.

"Well there's this nice restaurant that I usually go to when I'm here. It's very nice and private so we won't get caught or have to worry about fans. And the food is amazing," Harry told Niall who smiled.

"You know food will always be the way to my heart."

Harry chuckled and continued to drive as Niall went to singing along to the radio. After parking at the restaurant, Harry was quick to go open the door for Niall and help the blonde out of the car, before the two headed inside and a hostess took them to a table. The place was almost empty, seeing as it was a weekday and all.

"Hi I'm Olivia and I'll be your waiter for this morning. Can I start you guys off with anything to drink?" A petite girl with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail asked them with a large smile that showed off her white teeth covered by braces.

"Uh I'll take a coffee," Harry told her with a smile and she nodded before turning to Niall.

"Orange juice, love," Niall told her and she blushed a bit before heading off. "Remember when I told you that I always wanted to be like Olivia Benson from Law and Order SVU?"

"Of course I do," Harry chuckled fondly at the memory. "You said you wanted to be as badass as her and have her job, but then realized you're too squeamish for a job like that."

"Yeah yeah. If I were a girl, I'd want my name to be Olivia in hopes of being at least half as badass as her."

"Bunny, you're as badass as a cute chubby puppy."

"Rude," Niall told him with a scoff. "But also true. Anyways, how's the tour been?"

While Harry went on to tell Niall about his tour, the two read over the menu and Olivia walked over with their drinks. She took their orders and the menus before walking off with a smile.

"Sandra's okay with you working with Julian at the studio?" Harry asked Niall as he grabbed his coffee while Niall stirred his orange juice around with the straw it came with.

"She's on vacation right now with her husband and baby, so she's pretty happy. And I've been working a lot these last few months so I'm more than okay with this break from interviews and photo shoots," Niall replied with a shrug as he looked up at Harry who was looking at him with a soft expression on his face. "What?"

"Nothing, you just look so beautiful."

Niall blushed and said nothing, staring back at Harry until the two burst into childish giggles. Olivia returned with their food shortly after and the two began to eat and talk about anything.

"How's Shawn doing? It's been awhile," Harry asked Niall who rolled his eyes.

"Well he's Shawn," Niall replied and Harry chuckled. "He's working on his second album and stuff. Busy with tour and trying to find a new PA."

"What happened to Aria?"

"She's starting uni in the fall and wants to be with her family more. That and the thing between her and Shawn wasn't going to work out, she said. I still think they'd make a nice couple."

"He must be pretty bummed that she's leaving."

"Yeah, but he says he's fine. And he says I'm stubborn," Niall huffs as he stabs his scrambled eggs with his fork.

"You are pretty stubborn though," Harry reminded Niall.

"Thanks bae."

After breakfast, Harry left a generous tip for Olivia before the two left and headed to the recording studio. They were about half an hour late, but they didn't care. They wanted to spend time with each other in person to make sure things would work out again.

"Look who's finally here!" Louis cheered and Niall rolled his eyes.

"Why are you guys so late?" Zayn asked them with a smirk on his face as he stared between Harry and Niall.

"Well in case you haven't noticed, I walk with the pace of a fucking turtle and I live on the ninth floor and its LA," Niall told them, not wanting them all to know that him and Harry had decided to ditch them for awhile so they could have their date.

"My poor baby," Louis cooed as he walked over to help Niall sit down.

"Now can we get to work?" Julian asked with a bit of an irritated look on his face, but Niall knew he was only that way because they were falling behind and their new album had to be out by November.

It was a long day, but eventually Julian let them leave by eight and Harry drove the blonde back to his apartment and even walked him up to his place.

"Thanks for today, I had a lovely time with you," Niall tells Harry with a smile, leaning against the doorframe since Harry refused to go in.

"You're welcome love. Hopefully we can do it again soon before we start tour," Harry says as he reaches a hand out to brush back a stray blonde hair from Niall's face.

"Definitely. Have a good night, Haz."

"Bye."

Harry left and Niall headed inside, going off to get ready for bed.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//July 5//

[short video of Niall and Oliver arguing in the motel]

104,728 views • Liked by niallhoran

 **OliverBrookes:** 7 days until the premier of @shawnmendes new video!!

View all 8,729 comments

 **softnouis_:** this looks intense, haha!! Can't wait tho

 **inouterspace:** my baby was in a music video with my two other babies? Super excited for this!!

*

//July 7//

[picture of Niall and Oli at the pub smiling at each other]

Liked by liampayne, selenagomez, shawnmendes and 231,163 others

 **niallhoran:** 5 days !!

View all 20,662 comments

 **Horan.Mendes.Shawn:** Ok but Oli is hot

 **HoranxStyles:** super excited for this!!

 **OliverBrookes:** Miss you you little freak !!

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//July 9//

They're in San Diego, hours away from FOUR starting their North American leg of their tour and Niall found himself fitting right in quickly, almost as if nothing had ever happened. Lou and Lottie were happily chatting with him as the others did soundcheck.

"So you and Harry are doing okay?" Lottie asked Niall who smiled at the mention of Harry and she teased him.

"Yeah we're okay. We talked things out back in March and since then we've been getting into the hang of being friends again. It still hurts a bit, but it's all okay," Niall answers truthfully and Lottie and Lou both smile at the blonde.

After soundcheck, Harry walked over to Niall and the two slipped off without telling anyone. They get into a car and then they're off.

"Where are we going?" Niall asked with a smile. "Feels like we're skipping school."

"We are going to Seaport Village as our second date. We can take a stroll, eat and do a little shopping if you want," Harry replied as he looked over at Niall with a smile as he pulled on his sunglasses.

"Sounds like fun."

It's hot and slightly humid today, but bearable. The sun is shinning bright in the sky and little to no clouds linger around, but once they reach Seaport, there's a gentle breeze that keeps things from getting too hot and it smells like the ocean and Niall loves it. Harry opened the door for Niall and helped him out of the car, the blonde ignoring the crutches Harry offered him.

"Niall, the doctor said two weeks and it's barely been a week," Harry told the blonde in a stern voice but Niall simply pouted up at Harry.

"Please, Hazzy? It doesn't hurt and I promise to be careful," Niall begged Harry, conflict passing over his green eyes before he sighed and let the blonde be.

"But you'll be in a lot of trouble if something happens."

"I'll take the blame, captain."

"Come on, dork," Harry chuckled lightly and wrapped an arm around Niall's shoulders as they began to walk along the trail. "Where should we go first?"

"Harry! Can we get on the carousel?!" Niall asked his date excitedly and Harry laughed, pressing a kiss to Niall's forehead and saying yes which made the blonde squeal and start to drag Harry towards the ride that was currently in motion with a few adults and kids on it.

About a minute later the ride was coming to a stop and the two waited as the people got off before Harry helped Niall up on the ride and the two sat on the horses, right next to each other. Niall pulled his phone out and dragged Harry closer so the two could take a selfie. Just before Niall could snap the picture, Harry made a silly face and laughed when Niall whined but kept the picture anyways. After their going in circles trip, the two began to walk around again, entering shops and just browsing.

They enter a store called American Nostalgia and Niall gasps as he takes in all of the old fashioned things in the store.

"Candy!" Niall all but shouted as he raced, well more like waddled towards the candy aisle and Harry smiled fondly as he headed after the blonde who was staring at everything, trying to decide what to get. "Harold, look at all the Pop Rocks!"

"I should probably go grab a basket," Harry mumbled in amusement and headed off to grab a basket while Niall decided on what flavor of Pop Rocks he wanted to stock up on.

When Harry returned, Niall dumped about six packets of watermelon flavored Pop Rocks, three of Blue Razz and three strawberry flavored ones. Harry chuckled and let Niall add more candy.

"Hey, H," Niall called and Harry turned around, looking at Niall who was holding up a candy called Sugar Daddy.

"Are you asking me to be your sugar daddy?" Harry teased the blonde who blushed.

"Ass."

Harry laughed and grabbed a packet of candy called Sugar Babies, holding it up to show Niall who laughed and the two threw the stuff in before Niall leaned up to press a kiss to Harry's cheek. In the end they walked out with nearly thirty dollars worth of candy. Niall also bought unicorn bandages in a little tin box. And for the other boys, he bought them novelty IDs with their pictures on them from their Up All Night era.

"Wanna have dinner?" Harry asked the blonde, carrying the bag from the candy shop plus two more from other shops, in his other hand holding one of Niall's.

"Yeah, getting hungry now," Niall told Harry as he looked at him with a smile. "Cupcakes!"

"No Niall, we're eating actual food. We can buy cupcakes to go," Harry warned the blonde who pouted. "What are you in the mood for? There's seafood, Mexican, Greek."

"Hmm I'm in the mood for a burger."

"Then we must be soulmates because that's what I'm craving right now," Harry nearly moaned out and Niall giggled as they began to head to a burger shop, Harry swinging their hands between them.

As they sat on a table out on the deck with a view of the ocean and waited for their food to arrive, both Harry's and Niall's phones went off. They both looked at each other before looking down to see that Preston and Louis were calling them respectively.

"We should probably answer," Harry sighed and Niall nodded. "Hi Preston."

"Hey Lou," Niall answered and right away Louis started asking him questions in a hysterical tone, wanting to know where he was and if he was okay. "Yes I'm fine and I'm somewhere safe and happy."

"But where are you?! Security is pissed at you and Harold for- wait, you guys are together? Neil, what are you not telling us?" Louis asked.

"We went out to be tourists, that's all. Look, we'll be there on time before the show starts and I bought you something."

"I guess I forgive you. I'll see you guys later then. Be careful and have fun."

"Will do, bye." Niall hung up and seconds later Harry did the same just as a waited walked over with their plates and a large smile on his face, looking at Niall with a flirty expression before walking off.

"Guess who's not getting tipped," Harry grumbled in jealousy as he picked up his burger and took a bite out of it a little aggressively, getting ketchup and mustard around his mouth which made Niall laugh.

"Aww, bear, you know I've only got eyes for you," Niall reassured Harry as he grabbed a napkin and reached over to wipe away the mess he made. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"And you're just cute in general," Harry said and leaned forward to press a small peck to the tip of Niall's nose.

They continued to eat and steal fries off of each others plates, telling each other jokes and sometimes sitting in a comfortable silence. Eventually they left and Harry did leave a tip for the guy, but on their way out, he wrapped an arm around Niall's waist.

"You still want those cupcakes?" Harry asked after walking along for a few minutes.

"Yeah and we should probably head back. It's getting a little late and we don't want to hit traffic," Niall told Harry with a soft smile, trying to ignore the small pain he know felt in his ankle.

"Alright, let's go buy some cupcakes."

They bought red velvet cupcakes and then headed back out after Harry took a picture with two teenage girls who were working at the shop. The girls had smiled and giggled when they saw Niall and Harry walk in holding hands, promising to not post pictures until the next day.

"How's your foot?" Harry asked as he drove back to the stadium.

"Hurts a bit, but I'll manage," Niall replied with a smile. "Thank you for today, I had a lot of fun. You know I don't mind where we go as long as I'm with you."

"The feeling's mutual, bunny."

They arrive at the venue and Niall uses his crutches this time to get off of his foot, Harry carrying their bags and the box of cupcakes. As soon as they're inside, Paul is there right away to give the two a look.

"I would love to hear you scold us, but my foot hurts and it's probably swollen again," Niall told Paul who looked down and nodded right away.

"Alright lad, go sit in Harry's dressing room and I'll get you some ice," Paul told Niall who nodded and Harry lead the blonde through the chaos of backstage and towards the dressing rooms while Paul went off to get some ice.

"I'll put your leg up on the coffee table to keep it elevated," Harry said as he set the box and bags down on the other couch as Niall sat down and placed his leg up.

"Look who's finally back!" Louis said as he walked in with Liam and Zayn following, frowning as he saw Harry taking off Niall's boot carefully. "You alright?"

"Yeah. My fault though, I didn't want the crutches getting in the way and I thought I'd be okay without them. Clearly I'm not," Niall explained to the boys, smiling up at Paul who handed him the bag of ice. "Thanks Paul."

"I'm only mad at you two for leaving without telling anyone where you were going," Paul said as Harry took the bag from Niall and placed it carefully on his ankle, the blonde hissing at the cold.

"We're sorry Paul," Harry told the guy who nodded and eventually left them alone.

*

The show started off great and Niall had even managed to get a video of when Harry fell. Lottie, her boyfriend Tommy, Lou and him were all standing in a private area so they could watch the show, a few fans having waved and screamed at Niall.

"This next song, is very important to me," Harry began and the crowd screamed louder before getting quiet since Harry wasn't talking. "I uh wrote this about a year ago during a rough time and while all the bad stuff has been left behind, this is kind of like a battle scar. Here's Spaces."

Niall smiled softly even though his eyes were beginning to sting with unshed tears. He'd probably only ever heard the song around two times and both times he'd cried, but Harry was right. They'd pushed all the bad stuff behind and it was their battle scar. They went through a lot of shit, but Niall knew they'd be okay now.

As the boys sang, Harry walked towards the area where Niall and the others were, smiling down at the blonde in reassurance and Niall smiled back. Niall took a video during the chorus and put it up on his Instagram story with 'Battle Scar' and the red heart emoji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did my research on their San Diego date
> 
> Also, the Packers beat the Cowboys last night which means my cousin gave me fifty bucks for the bet we made so I'm pretty damn happy right now :)


	15. "third wheel"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall:** I'm feeling like a third wheel right now :(

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//July 10//

[short video of Niall crying during Spaces]

1,729 views

 **NarryUpdates:** a fan took this video of Niall while FOUR performed Spaces last night. Those last few months that Narry were together were definitely pretty hard :(

View all 83 comments

 **softnouis_:** Spaces always makes me a big emotional mess

*

 **katy @KittyKaty:** ok so yesterday my friend  & I saw Niall and Harry & it looked like they were on a date! +  
|  
 **katy @KittyKaty:** they were holding hands and Niall was being all cute and blushing and Harry kept holding him it was so adorable!!  
|  
 **katy @KittyKaty:** they walked into the store where my friend and I work and bought a lot of candy

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

"Do you have to go?" Harry asked Niall, holding the blonde tightly.

"Yes, I do. Shawn's going on tour soon and he's landing in LA today," Niall says as he rubs Harry's back, laughing as Harry's curls tickle his neck. "I'll join you guys as much as I can, considering you lot have to finish your new record and you haven't really started recording."

"Okay, I'll let you go only if you promise to go on a third date with me the next time we see each other," Harry told Niall as he pulled back from the hug to look down at Niall who was smiling wide.

"Alright alright. Have a great show tomorrow."

"Will do and call me when you get back to LA. Wanna know you made it safe."

"Yeah yeah. Oh and Bobby called me this morning, he wants you to call him because he wants to have a chat now that those rumors are coming out," Niall told Harry who chuckled and nodded.

"I'll call Bobby, no worries. Besides, I kinda do need to talk to him about something," Harry said and covered Niall's face with his large hand when the blonde looked at him with narrowed blue eyes. "Not gonna tell you about what, just wanna have a chat with him, love. Bobby's always been a great man and he always treated me like another son, think that I should apologize to him and your family as well for hurting you."

"You don't have to do that, you know? I'm a big boy and they know that I can take care of myself," Niall reassured Harry as he pulled Harry's hand away from his face and smiling at him softly as he laced their fingers together. "Though it definitely would get you back in their good book if you did, no pressure though."

"None taken and while I'm at it, I'll apologize to Shawn as well because I'd really rather him not punch me the next time we cross paths."

Niall laughed and shook his head.

"I really need to get going or else Shawn's going to get there before me."

Harry nodded and the two hugged one more time before Niall climbed into his car and drove off.

*

"Look who's finally home," came Shawn's voice from the kitchen and it startled Niall, not having expected him to be in so early.

"Are you always trying to kill me?" Niall asked as he moved further into the apartment.

"You do that perfectly well on your own," Shawn teased the blonde as he looked down at Niall's boot. "How was your date with Harry?"

"What?"

"Please, I'm not stupid. Besides, fans saw you two being all cute buying candy."

"Okay fine, yeah we've been on two dates now but we're still moving slow. He's happy to let me take it at my pace and we haven't even kissed yet so I'm taking extra caution here."

"Alright, I'm not saying anything. Oh by the way, Oli's in town and I promised we would go to dinner with him," Shawn told Niall who smirked at him.

"Are you sure you promised a 'we' and not a 'you'?" Niall teased Shawn, laughing as his best mate turned red and turned around to hide his face. "You so like him, don't you?"

"No I don't!" Shawn answered a little too quickly and defensively.

"Shawn's got a crush!"

"Shut up or I'll fucking break your other foot."

"What's so bad about it? He's a nice kid and he kind of followed you around like a lost puppy during the shoot and I like him enough to want him to be my brother in law," Niall told Shawn with a small pout.

"Don't think Denise would appreciate her husband turning gay for an eighteen year old," Shawn joked, wanting to distract Niall from the actual topic.

"Ass. Do you think he doesn't like you like that? Because I will talk to him and ask him, you know I'm good at that."

Shawn took in a deep breath and walked over to Niall, setting his hands on the blonde's shoulders before saying, "Don't do anything. I'll figure things out."

"You always say that and look what happened with Aria."

"You worry about your own relationship, Nialler."

*

"Oliver!" Niall cheered and handed his crutches to Shawn as he limped his way over to hug the young actor who laughed and hugged the blonde back tightly. "Missed you."

"I missed you too," Oliver said with a laugh as he pats Niall's back. "Hope your ankle's doing better."

"It is, though I was on it almost all day yesterday so that probably screwed it over a bit, but it's fine."

"Stubborn, I see."

Niall rolled his eyes and moved off to the side to let Oliver and Shawn greet each other, paying extra attention to the way the two hugged and lingered a few extra seconds. He took a picture and sent it to Harry.

 **Niall:** I'm feeling like a third wheel right now :(

 **Harry:** Aww my poor bunny :(

 **Harry:** wait who is that guy that Shawn is hugging ??

 **Niall:** It's Oliver Brookes, the guy we did the video with and Shawn won't admit it, but he's crushing on him big time

"Stop texting your boyfriend and let's go in," Shawn scolded Niall who sighed, but blushed anyways.

"He's not my boyfriend," Niall whined and Oliver chuckled.

"Sure jan," Oliver teased the blonde who only blushed even more, but they headed inside the restaurant.

The three were in the middle of their dinner when Shawn had to go off to answer a call from his management, leaving Niall and Oliver. Niall looked up from his food only to find Oliver looking deep in through and biting his bottom lip nervously.

"Something wrong?" Niall asked his friend, placing a hand over his and startling him a bit.

"Uh do you know if Shawn is seeing someone?" Oliver asked nervously as he looked at Niall who quickly composed himself from his surprised expression.

"No. He was seeing Aria, you know his assistant? But that ship sunk quicker than the titanic," Niall told him with a shrug, lips tugging up into a smirk. "You like him, don't you?"

"Yeah, I kinda really do, but like I don't want to get my hopes up."

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. He likes you too."

"H-He does?" Oliver asked in surprise.

"Don't look so shocked mate."

"I just- I don't know what to do. Like, do I ask him out? And what if he says no?"

"Okay look, here's the plan. After dinner, I'll say that I'm not feeling too well and that'll give the two of you an excuse to spend time together. However you use it is up to you two, just make it like a date," Niall told Oliver who was pouting slightly but nodded anyways and there conversation ended as Shawn took his seat again.

"Sorry, Andrew doesn't seem to get the hint that it's my time off," Shawn said as he grabbed his drink and Niall waved him off.

"It's fine mate," Niall told him as he went back to eating.

"So what do you guys wanna do after this?" Shawn asked the two.

"Well, I kinda really want to go to the Santa Monica Pier. It is my first time in LA," Oliver speaks up a little shyly and Niall hides his smile behind his drink.

"Sounds good to me. Niall?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! Perfect!" Niall exclaimed with enthusiasm as to not come off as suspicious.

After paying for their dinner, the three head out of the restaurant and head towards the parking lot, stopping to take pictures with a small group of girls who'd been walking down the street.

"Hey uh, do you guys mind if I ditch you? I'm not feeling too well," Niall told them with a small frown and a hand over his stomach. It really wasn't a lie, something that he ate wasn't sitting well in his stomach and he really regrets having dessert now.

"Are you alright?" Shawn asked worriedly.

"Yeah yeah, just probably ate too much and I've actually got an early day at the studio tomorrow, but you two have fun and get me something nice, yeah?"

"If you're sure."

"I'll be fine on my own, Jesus. Have fun boys," Niall told them as he headed towards his car, forcing Shawn to go with Oliver without another word.

*

It was nearly nine at night and Niall was curled up on the couch with a ginger flavored tea on the coffee table and he was watching a soccer match. He was already in his pajamas with his phone resting on his lap and he jumped when a Snapchat notification went through. He looked down and saw that Oliver had sent him a picture. Niall giggled and opened the snap. The picture was of Shawn looking way too excited at an arcade game and the caption 'He's trying to collect enough tickets to win me the biggest thing'. Niall giggled again and sent him a picture of him using the dog filter with his tongue out; 'good luck mate, can take hours!!'

It wasn't even two minutes later when he got a text from Shawn. The blonde sighed and thought about ignoring it, but he knew he'd only hear it when Shawn got back from his not so official date.

 **Shawn:** I don't know if I should hate you or love you right now

 **Niall:** how about u thank me?? bitch, i got sick for u and oli so u two could go on a fucking date since neither of u would man up and ask the other out

 **Shawn:** Are you really sick tho?

 **Niall:** u tell me, i just spent nearly an hour hugging the toilet bowl and seeing my dinner for a second time

 **Shawn:** Gross

 **Niall:** well u asked, now go kiss oli and use protection!!

 **Shawn:** You're suhc a fucking asshole, I'm glad you're sick

Nialll snickered and rolled his eyes knowing Shawn didn't mean it and a minute after that text, another one came through.

 **Shawn:** I'm not actually glad you're sick so I hope you feel better :)

 **Shawn:** Love you xx

 **Shawn:** oh and thanks!!

 **Niall:** yeah yeah, love u too

//July 11//

In the morning, Niall walked out of his room still in his pajamas and hair a mess on his head, but his teeth were minty fresh and he didn't feel as tired after washing his face. He spotted Shawn in the kitchen cooking breakfast and singing quietly under his breath, making the blonde smirk.

"I take it the date went well?" Niall asked Shawn, watching him jump and spill pancake batter on the counter.

"Fucker," Shawn tried to sound angry, but there was a smile on his face. "And the date went extremely well. We're going out again tonight."

"Glad my cupid services went well. Now spill the details, mate," Niall told him as he grabbed plates from the cupboards.

"Uh well we walked around at first, just talking and wanting to know more about each other and then we went on a few rides and shared a cotton candy and then at the end of the night we walked around the beach for a bit and held hands," Shawn explained, feeling a little shy but excited all together.

"In all seriousness though, I hope this works out. I know how much you like him and he's a really nice guy," Niall tells Shawn as he leans into his side and rests his head on his shoulder. "And don't start doubting things, Shawn. I know it's not easy with your careers, but things work out if you're willing to make them work out."

"I know and we talked about the what ifs and I told him that I leave in three days and he's coming with me for the first two shows."

"Aww, that's so cute!" Niall gushed and Shawn sighed and shoved Niall away from him lightly, not wanting to hurt the blonde.

"You're coming to the first two shows, right?"

"Yes and then I'm flying to Vancouver on the 17th to catch up with FOUR, we're really behind on this album and Julian said we might be on the road with them a lot."

"You're only using that as an excuse to spend more time with Harry," Shawn teased the blonde who blushed and moved away from him, grabbing two pancakes from the stack.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//July 12//

 **Shawn Mendes:** The music video for Treat You Better is out now!! [link]

*

[picture of Niall, Shawn and Oliver from the pub scene from the music video]

Liked by camila_cabello, ashtonirwin, perrieedwards and 211,287 others

 **niallhoran:** Was a pleasure working with these two and I hope you guys enjoy watching the video as much as we enjoyed making it !! @shawnmendes @OliverBrookes cr: @Aria_Martin

View all 18,298 comments

 **OliverBrookes:** the pleasure was all mine!! And thank you for everything ;)

 **shawnmendes:** @OliverBrookes I knew it

 **niallhoran:** @OliverBrookes @shawnmendes haha, oops?

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//July 15//

Boca Raton, Florida was hot and humid and Niall didn't like it. His plane had been delayed and he was thinking about ditching Shawn and Oliver all together, but he couldn't do that to his best friend on the first show of his North American leg of the tour so now it was about an hour to show time and Niall had just barely made it. He was also kind of in a bad mood and his phone died halfway through a conversation with Harry.

"Didn't think you'd actually make it," Shawn said as Niall stepped into the dressing room, dropping his bag on the floor and going over to sit next to Oliver who snickered.

"Hello boys. Yes, I'm just peachy, how are you?" Niall answered sarcastically as he looked at Oliver and Shawn who were sitting next to each other with Shawn's arm around the back of the couch behind Oliver.

"You look lovely by the way," Oliver told Niall with a small smile and the blonde calmed down a bit.

"I'm sorry, just been a shitty day," Niall told them as he sat on the couch opposite them. "Do any of you have a charger you're not using? My phone died."

"Mine's on the table over there," Shawn says as he points somewhere behind Niall who nods and goes to plug in his phone, waiting until there's enough battery to make a call.

Once there is, he dials Harry's number and waits for a bit until he answers.

"Hi babe, sorry but my phone died halfway," Niall tells him, ignoring the teasing from the other two and instead gives them the finger.

"It's fine, bunny, just got a bit worried. Made it safe to Florida?" Harry asks and Niall winces as he hears something crash on the other end and Zayn shout _'Louis, you idiot!'_

"Yeah, I'm here with the lovebirds right now," Niall says and looks over at his two friends who begin to whine even though there's a blush on their faces.

"Don't tease them too much babe, wait for me."

"I will. I'll let you go though, let you get ready for your show. I'd rather be with you instead of this little Canadian who keeps glaring at me."

"Hey!" Shawn exclaims and Oliver chuckles into Shawn's shoulder.

"Alright love, can't wait to see you."

"Me neither. Be good and have fun," Niall tells him with a soft smile as he stares down at the table.

"I will. Bye!"

Niall hung up and let his phone finish charging before sitting back on the couch just as Shawn's vocal coach came in.

"On my way!" Shawn told her with a smile and she nodded and walked off. "I gotta start warming up. Don't do anything stupid, you two."

"We won't!" Oliver assured Shawn who rolled his eyes before leaving the room.

"So how are things between you and the Canadian?" Niall asks Oliver who smiled wide at the blonde.

"Well it's only been a few days, but things are going great. Actually, better than great. We really want this to work and I've never felt like this about anyone," Oliver tells Niall with a dreamy look on his face.

"And I've never seen Shawn so into someone before, either. Definitely not with Aria and definitely not with his first girlfriend."

"And you and Harry? Things moving along nicely between the two of you?" Oliver asked Niall now.

"Sometimes I worry that I'm taking things too slow. Like, we've been on two dates and we talk and flirt with each other all the time, but we haven't even kissed. Yeah we hold hands and cuddle, but I don't know," Niall told him with a shrug and Oliver smiled as rubbed Niall's shoulder.

"Just do what you feel comfortable with, Ni. It's not easy to start a relationship over after well what happened. I'm sure he understands anyways."

The show starts soon after and Oli and Niall watch from the backstage area, cheering Shawn on along with the rest of the crowd.

//July 17//

Vancouver. Niall loves Canada, it's his third home after all, but he's never been to Vancouver and as soon as he's out of the airport, he's already in love. Preston is the one to pick him up at the airport and take him straight to the hotel.

When he arrives at the hotel, Harry is waiting for him at the lobby with a large smile and a bouquet of flowers. Niall smiles and walks up to him right away, wrapping his arms around Harry who wraps his around the blonde's waist with one arm.

"I've missed you," Niall mumbles into Harry's shoulder, smiling when Harry tightens his arm around the blonde.

"Missed you too, bunny. I'm so happy you're here," Harry says as he presses a kiss to Niall's temple and giving him the flowers.

"Thank you for these."

"Alright lads, let's head up before you attract fans," Preston tells the two with a smile and Niall giggles before pulling away from Harry.

"You're still staying with me, right?"

"I am," Niall assures him as they head towards the elevators.

Once at Harry's room, Niall drops his bag on the ground and goes over to lay down on the bed, letting out a tired sigh. Harry chuckles and lays down next to the blonde, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him closer to his body.

"I've missed holding you like this," Harry says softly as he lays on his side to look at Niall who blushes as he too turns on his side to face Harry.

"I've missed everything, but especially this," Niall says as he leans forward and presses his lips against Harry for the first time in seven months.

Niall loves that kissing Harry still makes his knees go weak, that he still feels like he's floating on a cloud. He loves that kissing Harry still proves to him how madly in love he still is.

Harry kisses him back after a few seconds, pulling the blonde closer to him and deepening the kiss. They pull away from the kiss and rest their foreheads together.

"I've definitely missed this," Niall says with a small chuckle and Harry smiles wide as he leans in for a soft peck.

"Yeah? I'm sure I owe you a million kisses then," Harry said and rolled Niall onto his back, pressing kiss after kiss to the blonde's lips which only made him laugh uncontrollably.

A soft knock on the door interrupted them and Harry groaned before going over to open it as Niall lay on his back, still giggling.

"Yes?" Harry asked the person with a large smile on his face.

"We're recording in Julian's room, like right now," Louis said and Niall sat up before going over to greet Louis.

"My sunshine is here!" Louis cheered as he hugged the blonde who hugged him back.

"Hi, Lou," Niall laughed.

"Babe, you coming up with us?" Harry asked Niall once he untangled himself from Louis.

"Sure, why not? Gotta support my man, don't I?" Niall said as he looked at Harry who laughed and leaned down to peck his lips while Louis gasped excitedly.

"Is this what I think it is?!" Louis asked with a large smile.

"Maybe," Niall teased him and walked off with Harry, the two holding hands as they headed towards Julian's room with Louis following behind them still asking questions. "You really wanna know?"

"Yes! Like, when did my two best mates get back together?!" Louis asked as they entered Julian's room, attracting the attention of the others.

"We're not officially together together," Niall said carefully as he looked at Harry who nodded in reassurance. "Since we talked in March, we've been talking back and forth and we eventually went out on a date when you guys were in LA and we've been taking things slow."

"But you guys kissed!" Louis exclaimed. "And you're attached at the hip and all that shit! It's like we went back in time."

"Louis, we kissed all the time and we weren't together," Zayn speaks up from where he was going over his lines. Louis huffed and shut up about it, Niall and Harry sending thankful looks at the dark haired lad who smiled at the pair.

Louis went in first to record, leaving Harry and Niall to sit on the couch in Julian's room and cuddle.

"We'll make it official soon, yeah?" Harry whispered in Niall's ear.

"I'll be ready, promise," Niall replied quietly and pecked Harry's lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Narry kissed
> 
> I really shouldn't be, but I'm working on a new story besides the other twenty stories that are just sitting on my drive, but maybe someday I'll post something new but for now I'll just work on finishing these stories :)


	16. "sure jan"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **louist91:** @shawnmendes sure jan :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics used  
> Dua Lipa - Lost In Your Light  
> Jonas Brothers - Lovebug

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//July 31//

 **Liam @LiamPayne:** Bit of a surprise ! Check out our new single! It's called Drag Me Down  & I hope you love it as much as we do [link]

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** "With your love, nobody can drag me down!"

*

[video of Niall singing along to Harry's solo]

917,276 views • Liked by shawnmendes

 **louist91:** safe to say that our biggest fan likes the song

View all 20,197 comments

 **softnouis_:** my narry heart tho !!

 **shawnmendes:** Find your own biggest fan, he's mine

 **louist91:** @shawnmendes sure jan :)

 **niallhoran:** @shawnmendes @louist91 hi, this isn't Niall but please stop fighting over my boy, he's my biggest fan xx

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall's been on the road with the FOUR boys for three days now because Julian wants to hurry it up with the record. They're in Indianapolis right now, hours after releasing (well Louis released it by "mistake") their new single. Things were going great and Niall was enjoying being on the road with the lads even though he missed Trixie. Gemma always sent him and Harry pictures and videos of their dog and it made Niall feel homesick.

"We have like a ten day break after our show in Baltimore and I was wondering if you would go on another date with me?" Harry asked as he played with Niall's fingers, smiling at the blonde who seemed to think about it. "It's been a bit hard to find time and a place to fit in our dates and just have some time for the two of us, so I thought we could do something during that small break."

"Sounds like a plan. What do you have in mind?" Niall asked, giggling as Harry tickled his palms.

"Well I would have liked to take you on like a mini vacation, but since we're recording, I'll think of something."

"You know I don't care what we do as long as it's just us," Niall says as he leans forward to press his lips against Harry's. "Although I do keep pestering Shawn about going on a double date."

"Would love to do that. Wanna meet Oliver and tease Shawn."

Niall laughed and kissed Harry again, groaning when Zayn and Louis walked into the dressing room.

//August 10//

They're in Chicago for the short break, the boys needing to finish recording and Harry planning his next date with Niall. Niall's lost track, but he's pretty sure this is their like seventh date, the last one having been just watching movies in their hotel room and eating junk food. Harry, as usual, wouldn't spill his plans to the blonde and had just told him to dress nice but comfortable.

"You ready to go?" Harry asked as he entered their hotel room dressed in his usual tight skinny jeans, funky boots and an old white v neck.

"Our date's today?" Niall asked him in confusion as he looked up from his phone.

"I didn't tell you?"

"Um you forgot that very important detail, love."

"Oops. Well, let's go. You look beautiful as you are," Harry said as he walked over to help Niall up from his bed, thankful he was able to walk without that stupid boot now.

Niall grabbed his phone quickly and let Harry lead him out of their hotel room. Paul was already waiting for them by the elevator and Niall smiled at the man who smiled back.

"Paul, where are we going?" Niall asked him as they stepped inside the elevator, Niall stepping closer to Harry because he truly hates elevators.

"Sorry lad, can't say," Paul replies and Niall pouts, making both men laugh.

It's a bit of a drive from their hotel to wherever the place that they're dates is going to be at. Eventually though they reach a building decorated in a very retro style with a roller skate below the name and above the main entrance. The parking lot's empty, except for what Niall assumes are the employees cars.

"Hope you know how to roller skate," Harry tells Niall who grins.

"It's been awhile, but I'm sure I can still do it," Niall tells him as Paul opens their door and ushers them inside the building so they don't attract attention.

"I rented out the entire place for a few hours so it'll just be us and a few workers."

"Makes sense."

They step inside and are greeted by a smiling guy around their age dressed in an orange polo and dark blue skinnies. His name tag reads 'Rob' and he greets them.

"Come on bunny," Harry said as he walked the blonde over to a bench to put their skates on after getting them from Rob.

They quickly laced up their skates and stood up, Niall wobbling around and trying to find his balance, smiling when he could finally stand without slipping. Harry was a different story, though Niall figured this date was bound to go wrong somewhere with Harry being such a big klutz. Either way he loved this and would enjoy it as best he could.

The lights turned off as soon as they reached the rink, only to be replaced seconds later by colorful lights and the music started, Niall laughing when Kiss You came on.

"I fucking hate you," Niall told Harry as he kept laughing, Harry smiling wide as he held onto the edge.

"Sure you do," Harry told him with a large grin.

Niall skated over to Harry and grabbed his hand to help the taller man out. The two got the hang of things fairly quickly and soon Harry was on his own skating around the rink.

Harry grabbed onto Niall's hand and took one of those cheesy pictures of them holding hands with Niall ahead of him. It came out slightly blurry, but it made it look all the better. Harry smiled and moved to wrap his arms around Niall's waist just as Dua Lipa's song Lost In Your Light came on.

 _"Lost in your light, baby. I wanna stay right here all night, baby. Let's get lost in the light, baby. I wanna stay right here all night, baby,"_ Harry sang into Niall's ear, making the blonde blush.

"Stop! You know I love that song," Niall whined, though he let Harry sing the rest of it to him.

They left the building nearly two hours later and thanked Rob and even took pictures with him. Afterwards, Paul drove them to their next destination.

"Can I know where we're going? Please?" Niall asked with a whine as he poked Harry's side repeatedly.

"Nope and stop poking me," Harry said as he slapped Niall's hands away, the blonde whining and slapping his hand back and soon they were like two children hitting at each other in the backseat of the car which made Paul groan.

"How about you both stop before I turn this car around and take you back to the hotel," Paul warned the two.

"But we're heading there anyways," Harry said and then his eyes widened comically and Niall laughed.

"Ha! So we're going to the hotel!" Niall exclaimed as he jumped up and down on the seat.

And they did. Harry lead them back to their room and when he opened the door, there was a large assortment of red roses on a small table in the center of the room along with a table set for two with a white table cloth and candles in the middle. There were fairy lights hanging from the curtains in the room and the blinds were drawn to make the room as dark as possible at five in the afternoon.

"I didn't know where to take you to dinner and then I kinda decided I wanted to be somewhere private with you so I told the lads to help me out," Harry explained a little nervously as they stepped inside. "I uh hope you like it."

"Haz, this is amazing. I love it," Niall told him honestly as he walked up to the man and pecked his lips.

"And I ordered room service which is already here."

Harry lead the blonde to a chair and then went to the cart where the food was. He placed to plates of spaghetti on the table and pulled out the wine from the little cooler and opened it.

"So how long did it take you to plan this? And I'm quite surprised the boys didn't accidentally tell me," Niall asked Harry with a smile as he grabbed his fork and began to eat as soon as Harry was sitting across from him. The fairy lights casting a nice soft glow.

"I thought about it during breakfast and while you were off working on your project with Julian, I asked the boys to help me out while I distracted you with the roller skating. I just, wanted this to be special because I want to ask you if you'll officially be my boyfriend? Again."

"I would love too," Niall said as he got up from his seat and went over to sit on Harry's lap to kiss him softly. "Thank you for being so patient with me and doing all this. Honestly I never saw myself being here with you like this again after what happened, but here we are almost like it never happened. I never stopped loving you and I'm never going to. You've been the best damn thing to ever happen to me and sure, you broke my heart, but who said relationships were easy? Thank you for being in my life again, H. I love you so so much."

Harry looked at Niall with slightly teary eyes as he shifted the blonde until he was straddling Harry's lap. He had his hands on Niall's hips, staring into his blue eyes that were staring into his own green ones.

" _Thank you_ for giving me another chance even though I most certainly did not deserve it. I regret it all and I'm always going to live with that pain knowing I broke your heart. I'm also thankful though, because we're stronger than ever now and every minute I'm with you I have a whole new reason to love you and to keep you forever with me," Harry said as he moved his hands to rub up and down Niall's sides, the two never once breaking eye contact, even as Harry stretched his left arm towards the cart and grabbed something off of it. "I wanna give you something that means a lot."

Niall's gaze drifted down to the little box in Harry's hand and though he knew it couldn't be an engagement ring, it still made his heart race.

"This is a promise ring and with it, I'm going to promise you that I won't ever make the same mistake again. I don't want to lose you a second time and with this, I'm promising you my love, loyalty and honesty. And I'm going to work hard to keep our relationship going strong," Harry told Niall as he grabbed the ring out of the box and took Niall's left hand in his and slid the simple silver ring on his ring finger. "I promise to love and cherish you forever, even when we're both old and gray and beyond that. You're the only person I'm truly madly deeply in love with."

Niall gave out a wet chuckle as he looked from the ring up to Harry and said, "Stop quoting your songs."

Harry laughed and pulled Niall down into a kiss, this time, the two pouring every ounce of love that they'd locked up during the past few months. Letting each other now that their love was still as strong as ever.

Dinner was quickly forgotten as Harry picked up the blonde and carried him towards the bed, their lips still together even as Harry lowered the blonde down gently. They did break apart for air and Niall stared up at Harry like he was a star shining in the night sky.

"I love you," Niall whispered as he pulled Harry down by his shirt.

"I love you more," Harry told him with a smile and Niall shook his head.

"Nuh uh."

Harry chuckled and leaned down to press a soft kiss to Niall's neck.

"Harry," Niall panted as Harry's left hand slid inside his shirt and brushed past his nipples.

"I wanna show you how much I love you."

"Show me."

*

"I'm sore," Niall whined as Harry helped him get in the bathtub. "It's been so long."

"Now who's quoting my songs?" Harry joked and Niall looked at him in confusion. " _It's been so long, it's been so long. Maybe you are fireproof._ "

"Ha ha."

Harry simply held Niall to his chest as they relaxed in the water painted in a light purple because of the purple bath bomb Niall had gotten during their trip in San Diego.

"Have you talked to your sister? I miss Trixie," Niall says awhile later, his eyes closed as he relaxes in the warm water with his boyfriend behind him.

"Yeah, says that Trixie misses us. Speaking of our little bundle, what's gonna happen once we get to London?" Harry asks the blonde, brushing his blonde hair with his fingers.

"I honestly don't know. Even if I stay at my flat, I still have a feeling we're not going to be sleeping in our actual homes away from each other."

"So you wanna move back in with me? I'm not trying to pressure you, but I really want you home. If you want though, we could find a new place? Somewhere a bit more private with a large yard and lots of rooms for when we decide to have kids."

"I like the sound of that. Even the kids part. I used to say I didn't want kids, but it's crazy how much you can change your mind. I want at least three."

"How about four and two more dogs," Harry suggested excitedly and Niall laughed.

"Deal," Niall said with a smile.

//August 11//

Niall and Harry walk down to the hotel restaurant holding hands and with large smiles on their faces. They'd stayed up until late just talking until the sun was almost up and despite that, they didn't even feel tired.

"Oh look! It's the lovebirds!" Louis exclaimed as soon as they got close to their table near the back of the restaurant.

"Thanks for helping Harold out yesterday," Niall tells the boys as he sits next to Zayn with Harry, the five waiting for a waiter to show up.

"It's no problem, babes," Zayn reassures the blonde with a smile.

"Is that a ring?" Louis asked as he saw the silver band around Niall's finger.

"It's not an engagement ring, so chill out," Harry told his best friend who actually looked a bit disappointed that it wasn't one. "It's just a promise ring."

"Hello boys, I'm Andrea and I will be your waitress for today. Can I start you off with drinks?" She asked with a bright smile and a notepad in her hands.

"Coffee for us two," Zayn said as he pointed at himself and Louis and she wrote it down.

"Orange juice," Harry told her.

"Same for me," Niall spoke up as he smiled at her.

"And me, please love," Liam says and she nods before walking away.

Harry leans back in his chair and throws his arm around Niall's, leaning into the blonde and pressing kisses to his cheek until Niall drops his attention from his menu to his boyfriend.

"Is my bear being clingy?" Niall whispered as he turned his face to look at Harry who grinned and pecked his lips.

"You know how I get after sex. I've got a bigger reason now since you're all mine again and we've got a family to look forward to," Harry tells him with a soft expression on his face as he stares into Niall's eyes and pecks his lips again.

"Can you guys not be so cute right now?" Louis called to them, breaking the two out of their little bubble. "We haven't had breakfast yet, so I've got no food to throw up."

"Asshole," Niall tells Louis playfully as he turns back to reading over the breakfast menu.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

[a slightly blurry picture of Niall and Harry kissing]

1,319 likes

 **NarryUpdates:** This picture was taken today by a fan who works at the restaurant of the hotel where FOUR and Niall are staying at. She said that they were all cuddly and kissing all during breakfast and she said that she saw a ring on Niall's left hand ring finger. Don't go starting rumors, let's just let the boys say it when they're ready, but I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that Narry's back!!

View all 173 comments

 **softnouis_:** NO freakmijg way!! What if it's an engagement ring tho?!? oh my gioshgadlmk

 **NarryFeels:** narry's back!! I wanna cri

 **Naomi_Stylinson:** while I think that they did get back together, I don't think they're engaged or anything. Like u said tho, it's best we let the boys talk when they're ready

//August 12//

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Lost in your light, baby.

 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** "I can't get your smile out of my mind"

 **Jess @Jesssssy_16:** Niall's quoting Dua and Harry the Jonas Brothers but they're both equally cheesy

//September 10//

 **Narry @NarryUpdates:** Niall and Harry are at Shawn's concert tonight in New York!!  
|  
 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** Video of Harry talking with English actor Oliver Brookes [video attached]

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

"So I finally get to meet Oliver? And tease Shawn?" Harry asked his boyfriend who nodded with a laugh. "Best day of my life."

"Yeah yeah, you'll also see them on the 12th for your last show before we head off to London," Niall tells him as he cuddles up to Harry in the backseat as Paul drove them to Madison Square Garden for Shawn's concert.

"Sounds good, as long as he doesn't actually punch me. He threatened me through FaceTime yesterday."

"Aww you poor baby."

They reach the venue and are quickly escorted inside to not attract attention by the fans who are waiting outside. Niall and Harry were then lead backstage and towards Shawn's dressing room seeing as they still had a little over an hour before show time.

"Where my boys at?!" Niall yelled as he entered the dressing room first, seeing only Oliver and Shawn bent over a phone and laughing at something. Their heads turned and they smiled when they saw Niall.

"Blondie is here!" Oliver cheered as he stood up from the couch and walked over to hug Niall who laughed as he hugged him back. "And you brought your boy! Introduce, mate."

"Right. Babe, this is Oliver. Oli, meet my Harold," Niall introduced the two with a smile as he pulled Harry over to them.

"My name isn't actually Harold. It's just Harry," Harry tells Oliver who laughs and shakes Harry's hand.

Soon all four are talking excitedly and then Oliver, Harry and Niall are being lead to their seats.

"Are you guys ever going to tell your fans you're dating?" Harry asked Oliver as Niall was busy talking to some of Shawn's fans.

"We've talked about it, but we want to wait a bit more. It still feels too new and all," Oliver explained with a smile as he looked over at Harry who nodded. "And you guys?"

"Niall and I wants to wait a bit longer, mainly because I didn't want us getting back together to be the only news before he walked at Fashion Week. Unfortunately someone took a picture of us and while we haven't done or said anything to confirm it, I think it's pretty clear by now."

Oliver nodded in understanding and Niall got back to his seat just as the opening act came on. Niall listened to the opening act while Oliver and Harry got to know each other a bit more and soon Shawn was coming on stage with a large smile and his guitar. The screaming got loud and Niall leaned into Harry as his best friend began to sing his first song of the night.

"I love you," Harry says softly as Shawn sings 'Something Big'.

"I love you more," Niall replies with a smile as he stares at Harry who shakes his head.

"Nope, not possible."

They kissed softly and then sang along to the last lines of the song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for all the time skips, but I really don't want to drag things out and make it boring so it's going to be like that for maybe a few more chapters, not really sure.
> 
> Narry want kids and I'm not sure if I want to separate that whole part into a third book or just make this story really long, hmm we'll see. I've got a few more chapters to decide but I'm not too fond of going beyond two books


	17. "happy birthday"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **harrystyles:** ...happy birthday and tell you how thankful I am to have you in my life again.

//September 12//

Niall knew the boys were planning something, but he wasn't going to ask. He learned long ago to just ignore them and wait for the best. Either way it made him a bit anxious though. Especially with tomorrow being his birthday and all. Shawn and Oliver had been hanging with them all day and they seemed to be in on the plan as well.

"Babe, I just feel bad!" Harry said for like the millionth time in the past two days, making Niall groan and refrain himself from strangling his boyfriend.

"Harry, I don't mind spending my birthday on an airplane, honestly. Besides, we kinda really need to get back. I have school and we've got Trixie. I feel bad that she's spent so much time at your mom's and we can't be so irresponsible with our first born," Niall tells his boyfriend as he braids Harry's hair. "Can I straighten your hair?"

"Fuck no. And you're right, but still. I don't want you spending your birthday like this. The first year I threw you a party, last year well we had a small gathering with our families and then we partied with the boys the next day."

"Harry, seriously. I'm not upset or anything. Just shut up about it or I'm not doing whatever the hell you guys are planning on doing tonight."

"How'd you know?" Harry asks in curiosity as he twists to look up at Niall from where he's sitting on the ground in between his boyfriend's legs.

"Because I know you lot better than you think, bear. You always get this look on your face that tells me you're planning something. And stop moving so much, Lottie won't let me practice braiding on her hair."

Harry stuck his tongue out at Niall and turned back around, eyes darting over to the door when Louis and Zayn walked in, Louis on Zayn's back giggling about something.

"Rapunzel is getting her hair done," Louis said with a small giggle as he looked over at Harry and Niall, Harry giving him the finger.

"Where's Payno?" Harry asked instead of getting into an argument with Louis.

"Out with Sophia and I think Oli and Shawn were off talking to Shawn's sister or something," Zayn replies as he drops Louis on the couch next to Niall.

*

It happened before Niall knew it was happening. He'd been with Oliver and Shawn enjoying the show and singing along to Clouds when Preston walked over and began to take him backstage. And as much as Niall asked Preston what was going on, Preston simply smiled and kept his mouth shout. Clouds ended and Harry immediately began to talk.

"Okay, before we continue, we want to bring a very special someone on stage with us. His birthday is tomorrow and we need your help to sing him a happy birthday," Harry says and the crowd immediately starts to scream as loud as they can.

Louis walks over to where Niall is and the blonde tries to resist a little, but eventually follows Louis out onto the middle of the stage where the other boys are waiting. Niall waved at the crowd, his face covered by a slight blush. Niall laughed when Zayn's fingers tickled his side.

"Alright lads, we need some music over here, please," Louis calls to the band.

Niall stood in the middle of the other four boys with Zayn and Louis on either side, Liam to Louis' other side and Harry by Zayn.

"Happy birthday to you!" They all began to sing in unison. The boys and the crowd and it was a beautiful thing to hear, making goosebumps rise on Niall's arms.

Harry grabbed Niall's left hand and got down on one knee as he sang directly at the blonde, staring into his blue eyes and Niall only smiled wider.

"...happy birthday dear Niall! Happy birthday to you!" They finished singing and the crowd clapped and cheered and Harry placed a kiss to the back of Niall's hand before standing up and all four pulled the blonde into a group hug.

"Thanks lads," Niall told them, laughing as they pushed him in the middle and they all kissed his cheeks and forehead, Harry placing one on his lips.

*

"Did you like having the whole stadium sing to you?" Harry asks later that night at the hotel. They don't get to leave until the morning, the boys wanting to get a bit of rest before flying for seven hours straight.

"Loved it. Was a nice surprise," Niall says sleepily as he wraps an arm around Harry's waist and rests his head on his tattooed chest.

"Yeah? Had to make it up to my bunny somehow, you know I feel bad about having to spend your birthday on a plane."

"Haz, it's fine and it's not going to be all day. We'll be home, hopefully, before the day ends so if you want to make it up to me, I can think of a few ways," Niall tells him as he lifts his head to look at Harry with a smirk.

"Hmm? I like that idea and I wouldn't feel as bad," Harry answers with a smirk of his own as he trails his hand up and down Niall's bare back. "We should get some sleep though since we have to wake up early."

"Night Haz. I love you"

"Night bunny. I love you too."

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

**Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22 !!  
|  
 **Taylor Swift @taylorswift13:** @NiallOfficial haha!! Happy birthday sweetie!

*

[picture of Harry kissing Niall's cheek]

Liked by niallhoran, camila_cabello and 1,022,195 others

 **harrystyles:** To the boy who means the whole world to me, thank you for all the laughs, all the love and everything in between. I know things were difficult for awhile and even after all, my love for you has only grown immensely. And even though you're sitting right next to me right now, I just want to wish you a very happy birthday and tell you how thankful I am to have you in my life again. I love you my bunny. With love, your bear xx

_Comments have been disabled_

*

[picture of Niall with the Canadian flag]

Liked by hailesteinfeld, niallhoran, OliverBrookes and 837,983 others

 **shawnmendes:** Happy birthday to my Irish brother from another mother and one of the strongest people I know!

View all 36,297 comments

 **MendesMyLove:** Happy birthday love!!

 **MendesKatie_:** my boy's growing up so fast!! :(

*

 **Louis Tomlinson @Louis_Tomlinson:** Happy birthday lad! Hope you have a sick day @NiallOfficial

 **Oliver @Oli_Brookes:** @NiallOfficial happy b-day mate!

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

"Have a nice nap?" Harry asked the blonde sitting beside him, smiling as Niall cuddles more into his side in the uncomfortable seats.

"Not really. Sleeping on a plane is the most difficult thing to do," Niall replies in a soft sleepy voice as he looks up at Harry. "How much longer?"

"About two hours."

"Great."

"Mom said she could keep Trixie for a few more days to help us rest a bit and get rid of the jetlag and then we could go pick her up so we can spend a few days with her," Harry explains as he plays with Niall's messy hair, the brown roots starting to take over now.

"Sounds like heaven, though I do feel bad. I haven't seen Trixie since April and I miss her a lot," Niall says with a pout and Harry smiles fondly as he leans down to press a kiss to his hair.

Harry was the last of the FOUR guys to leave, seeing as Liam and Sophia flew out last night to head off to a mini vacation and Zayn and Louis had also left last night on a flight to London. They did it mostly so they wouldn't all attract the fans at the airport and they'd all learned through the years that splitting up was the better option to avoid getting mobbed.

It's dark when they land in London and Niall is starving and tired. The two stand around in baggage claim waiting for their things, Niall leaning into Harry's side and yawning into his hand. There's a baby crying a few feet away that's driving the blonde insane and two kids around the age of six or seven running around playing tag and angering a few tired cranky Brits.

"You sure you still want kids?" Harry asked Niall in amusement, an arm wrapped around the blonde's waist as he tares his gaze away from the children running around to look down at his boyfriend.

"I'm sure. Besides, our kids won't be as bratty," Niall reassured Harry with a smile.

Harry chuckles and presses a soft kiss to the top of Niall's head before he reaches forward to grab their luggage. Outside, Basil is the one who picks them up and Niall introduces his bodyguard to his boyfriend.

"Where to?" Basil asks as he looks at the two through the rear view mirror.

Niall gives him the address of his old home, the one that him and Harry moved into together. Harry hides his smile into Niall's hair at the thought of the two going back home. Together.

//September 14//

Niall wakes up alone in bed, tangled in the sheets and with the smell of breakfast filtering into the room. He smiles and stretches before sitting up and heading into the bathroom for his usual morning routine. Afterwards he walks into the kitchen barefoot and in one of Harry's old shirts, smiling as he finds his boyfriend at the stove and singing quietly under his breath.

"Morning," Niall tells him and Harry jumps a bit which makes the blonde laugh.

"You scared me," Harry says as he smiles over at Niall who walks closer to him and wraps and arm around him. "Did you sleep good?"

"Sorry and yes I did, slept perfect with my wonderful boyfriend."

"Good. I missed having you with me," Harry says as he puckers his lips and Niall leans over to kiss him softly.

"After breakfast I'm heading out to Sandra's office for a meeting and then heading to my flat to grab some stuff and start packing," Niall tells Harry as they sit down at the table to eat.

"Want me to meet you at yours? I can help you," Harry offers the blonde.

"If you want. I mean, you must be tired and all."

"Don't worry about me love, I wanna help you out. Besides, the quicker we can get your flat cleared out, the quicker you can move in with me again."

"You're right. I'll text you the address once I'm done with the meeting and you can come help me. I'm pretty sure I left it a mess, unless Laura has been living there without me knowing."

Harry chuckles and the two talk about what they would want in their new home.

*

"So you're living with Harry again?" Sandra asks Niall with a smile as the blonde settles down in a chair in front of her.

"Yeah and I'm gonna sell my flat and we're looking for a new house. We want something bigger and more private," Niall tells her as he grabs a white elephant figurine from her desk.

"I'm happy for you, I really am, but I hope you know what you're doing. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

"I know and thanks for worrying, but I'm completely sure about this. We had long talks to work things out before he asked me out again and he always makes sure that I'm doing okay and that he's not rushing me into anything. If anything, I feel like it's only made us stronger."

"I'm just very happy that you guys managed to work things out. You two make a very lovely couple and I wish you both all the best," Sandra tells Niall as she reaches across to grab his hand. "Alright, now down to business. The Danger&Wilde Fashion Week event will be on the 21st in Milan. Now the show starts at eight pm but you'll have wardrobe stuff almost all day and a pre show photoshoot with the other models and I just got word from James Wilde himself, that him and Camile want you to open and close the show."

"Really?!" Niall exclaimed in shock. "Oh my gosh, this is huge."

"It is, but they both really like you, like a lot. They're testing that whole combining the women and men show, which hopefully starts catching on quickly, makes a lot more sense if I'm being honest. What do you say?"

"I'm in. When do I leave then?"

"The nineteenth. I want you to attend a few shows the next day, get some media exposure and all. Harry's going with you right? Cause I already got him a flight ticket anyways, figured he'd want to be there with you. Now I gotta ask, how many tickets do you want for the event?" Sandra asked as she grabbed a pen and grabbed a pink Post-It note.

"Um, just put four down, not sure if my mom will be able to make it," Niall tells her and she nods, writing down the number and a small note.

"Alright then this is it. Here are your flight details and I will give you those four tickets when I see you in Milan. Get some rest for now and be good. Oh and uh any particular show you'd like to attend?"

"For sure Gucci, Harry was pestering me about that one awhile ago," Niall says with a roll of his eyes and Sandra laughs as she writes that down.

"Noted. Okay, that is all. Any questions?"

"Uh no, thank you Sandra."

"Anytime, love. Now be good."

Niall nodded and said goodbye to her before leaving. On his way down to the parking lot, he texts Harry the address of his flat.

*

"So the meeting went well?" Harry asks as they head up to Niall's flat.

"Pretty good, yeah. I uh get to open and close the Danger&Wilde fashion event so I guess that's cool," Niall said casually and even shrugged while Harry gasped excitedly.

"Babe, this is so fucking amazing! Why aren't you freaking out?" Harry wonders, hugging the blonde to his chest.

"Oh I am freaking out, but on the inside. I probably won't panic until the day of."

"I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks," Niall tells him softly and they walk out of the elevator when it reaches Niall's floor and walk down the hall.

"Nice place," Harry says as they walk inside and he takes in the spacious place.

"Sandra found it for me while I was living with my parents. I like it, but I guess I wasn't around or comfortable enough to call it home. At times I felt like I was living at a friend's place and I felt slightly better when Shawn was around, but I don't know," Niall sighs as he leads Harry straight to his room so he can pack his clothes.

Harry helps Niall by grabbing the clothes from his closet and setting it on the bed, frowning when he sees a flannel shirt that's way too big to be Niall's and it's definitely not his. He picks it up and asks Niall about it.

"Oh uh that's Bressie's. I stayed over at his one time and he let me borrow it and I never gave it back. It's been too long for me to give it back so I guess we can throw it away," Niall says as he stares at the flannel for a bit too long and Harry frowns.

"You guess?" He asks and Niall giggles when he can detect the jealousy in his voice.

"I'm sure. Uh just throw it on the floor so we can start the trash pile."

Harry nods feeling satisfied and throws the shirt on the ground by his feet. Soon the rest of Niall's clothes and other personal items have been packed and Harry's throwing the stuff Niall doesn't want into a garbage bag.

"I'm so tired," Niall groans as he lays down on his bed.

"You poor thing," Harry mocks his boyfriend as he gets on the bed next to him and cuddles him close.

Niall turned on his side to face Harry and the older lad closed the space between their lips. They were getting pretty into it, their shirts now on the ground and Niall's joggers on the ground as Harry began to work himself out of his jeans when the doorbell went off. They pulled away and Niall groaned as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about letting whoever is out there get tired but they keep insisting.

"I'll be back," Niall says as he pulls on Harry's shirt since it's bigger and he doesn't want to have to worry about pants yet.

He looks through the peephole first and rolls his eyes when he sees Laura standing there texting away on her phone. He opens the door and smiles at her.

"Hi, love!" She greets him excitedly as she looks up from her phone. "Whoa, did I interrupt something?"

"Possibly, but come in. Been getting cockblocked all summer, what's one more day going to do?" He told her and she laughed but hugged him tight. "I'll be right back."

Niall heads into his room and changes back into his clothes before pecking Harry's lips.

"Sorry love, my friend's here," Niall tells him quietly, kissing him again.

"It's no problem, babe. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be out. Don't wanna be rude and all," Harry speaks up with a smile as he pulls Niall to stand between his legs. "Love you."

"Love you too."

Niall walked back out into the living room where Laura is and he sits next to her.

"Is Harry here?" She asks with a smirk and Niall blushes.

"Yeah he's helping me pack up my things. I'm moving back in with him and we're going to start looking for a new place once the band stuff goes on hold," Niall tells her and she rubs his arm.

"I'm happy for you, I really am, but-"

"I know I know. How are the lads? Been awhile and I haven't talked to you know who."

"Well Eoghan is still Eoghan and apparently Bressie's been seeing someone since like March," Laura tells Niall who frowns. "I know, Eoghan got pretty mad and nearly punched the guy."

"Glad I have someone to stick up for me in my absence."

Harry walks out fully dressed a few minutes later when the two have long abandoned the subject of Bressie. Niall smiles up at his boyfriend and introduces his friend and his boyfriend to each other. The three sit and have a nice chat before Laura leaves and Niall and Harry finish packing.

"Alright, so I'll pick up dinner on my way and meet you at home," Harry said as they reached the parking lot and began to place Niall's things in their cars.

"Sounds good to me. I'll meet you at home," Niall tells him as he pecks Harry's lips before getting into his car.

Niall arrives at home first and starts dragging his things up to the front porch before unlocking the door and heading inside and pulling his bags inside. He closed the door afterwards and just stood in the foyer with a smile on his face happy to be back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my usual updating day, but I wanted to wait until Flicker came out so I could fangirl with you guys. I fucking loved it and I've got no buts or anything. I really love Seeing Bling with Maren Morris, it just makes me like really happy and all warm inside. The whole album is amazing and On My Own really made me want to dance when I heard it last night, haha!!


	18. "big day"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** big day today !!

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//September 19//

 **Narry @NarryUpdates:** Niall and Harry arriving in Milan earlier today! [image attached]

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** Milan! Such a beautiful city!!

//September 21//

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** big day today !!

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall woke up with a knot in his stomach. He was completely nervous about today. Like really fucking nervous. He tried to cuddle back into Harry's arms and sleep for a bit longer, but he can't. Harry wakes up to his tossing and turning and Niall feels bad, but he doesn't because then he can have Harry calm him down.

"Bunny," Harry coos softly, large hand rubbing up and down Niall's back through his t-shirt. "You look like you're going to throw up. Calm down, my love."

"I'm just so nervous. What if I trip? My career will end right then and there!" Niall whined as he buried his face into Harry's tattooed chest. "I'll hide forever and just live under a rock."

"Babe, other models have problems on the runway as well. Their shoes will fall off, or they'll trip. You wouldn't be the first nor the last."

"But I feel like there's so much pressure on me, H."

"Well there isn't and either way, I'm super proud of you."

They stay cuddling for a bit longer until Niall realizes that he's got things to do before the big show.

"What time is it?" Niall asks his boyfriend as he reaches over Harry to grab his phone off of the nightstand to check the time. "Shit! I've got wardrobe stuff in an hour!"

Niall jumps out of bed and Harry chuckles as he watches the blonde stumble around trying to get his things ready to take a shower. Harry was still in bed when Niall walked out of the shower fifteen minutes later and he rolled his eyes.

"Babe, Sandra and Basil will be here in five," Harry says as he looks up at the blonde from his phone. "She called you, but I picked up since you were in the shower."

"Thank you, um I don't know how long I'll be over there," Niall tells Harry as he crawls on the bed over to Harry and sits on top of him.

"No worries love, but I'll be ready when you come back so we can leave together. There's a red carpet, right?" Harry asks as he places his hands on Niall's hips and pulls him closer.

"Yeah and you're walking with me, right?" Niall asks him with a pout as he leans down to tease Harry's lips with his own.

"You know I am. I'm going to be right by your side, my love. I always will."

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~ ~ ~**

Harry walked out of the hotel room and met up with Shawn and Oliver down in the hotel lobby. The three would be going out to walk around for a bit before the show. He smiles at the couple as he approaches them and greets them.

"Been waiting long?" He asks as the three walk out of the hotel.

"Nah. So how's Niall?" Shawn asks, walking close to Oliver.

"Nervous, like really nervous. He looked about ready to puke this morning."

"Poor Ni," Oliver says with a small chuckle.

Shawn shakes his head with a small smile. The three head into a coffee shop and order their drinks. Once their orders are done, they sit at a table farthest from the door.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Shawn asks Harry who fiddles with the straw of his drink nervously.

"Well a couple of things, really," Harry says with a sigh as he looks up at Shawn and Oli. "First of all, I haven't gotten a chance to apologize properly. I've talked to his parents and Greg and even Denise and I know you're one of the most important people in his life and I just want to tell you how terribly sorry I am for what I did. I'd honestly never meant to hurt Niall and I hate myself for doing it. Things just got so out of control between us during that last month we were together and I regret it all."

"Look, you obviously weren't my favorite person on this planet the moment it happened," Shawn begins and Oliver rubs his back as he takes a sip of his coffee. "I've seen Niall go through a lot these last five years and obviously I'm going to be very overprotective of him, but he's been really happy these last few weeks and you're okay in my books again, just don't mess this up again."

"I promise I won't. I'm more determined to keep our relationship healthy and strong," Harry promised.

"And what's the other thing you want to talk about?" Shawn asks curiously and Harry takes in a deep breath, making Oliver and Shawn share curious glances.

"Well I know Niall and I only got together recently and I'm not trying to rush into things or pressure him either, but I would like to be ready for when we take the next step," Harry began and both Shawn and Oliver's eyes widened a bit. "I want to have your blessing to be able to marry Niall. I already talked to his parents and Greg and they both gave me their blessing and well all I need is you."

"Oh wow," Shawn said softly. "I mean, I'm touched that you need my blessing as well, but yeah you've got it. You really mean a lot to Niall and who am I to deny him his happiness? Just take care of him, yeah? He's my little brother, despite him being older than me but that's always been our dynamic. Even when we were kids I was always the one defending him from other kids."

Oliver and Harry both chuckled at that.

"So are we good?" Harry asked Shawn who nodded with a smile.

"We're excellent."

"And when would you want to propose?" Oliver asked Harry.

"Not sure yet, I just wanted to have this done in case it happens one day out of the blue. Of course I've been looking for rings though and once I find the perfect one than I'll decide on a date, but definitely not this year. I still think it's too soon and Niall and I are still working through things, but definitely sometime next year," Harry explained and the other two nodded in understanding.

*

Harry walks back into the hotel room and is surprised to find Niall already there. The blonde is sitting on the couch curled up into a corner of it and scrolling through his phone. Harry walks over and sits next to him.

"Hi bunny, doing okay?" Harry asks gently as he places a hand on Niall's knee and gives it a soft squeeze.

"I'm hanging in there. Talking to the other models kinda helped calm me down a bit, but I still feel like I'm going to throw up," Niall says as he scoots over to practically sit on Harry's lap, his head on the older lad's shoulder and legs over his lap.

"You'll do perfect out there. You probably won't even realize that you're walking in front of so many people and next thing you know it'll all be over and you'll realize you had nothing to worry about. Either way though, you'll have me, Shawn and Oliver front row cheering you on."

"Don't know if the thought of you three there comforts me or scares me more," Niall joked and Harry laughed as he pressed a kiss to the top of Niall's head. "Have a nice time with them?"

"Yeah. We went for coffee and we talked about stuff," Harry says simply as he rests his cheek on Niall's head and closes his eyes.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Stuff that curious little bunnies don't need to know or worry about."

"But why not?"

"Because this is your big day and I don't want you to worry about anything else. Now tell me, how was your first half of the day? And did you eat lunch? Don't want you passing out on the runway."

"It was fun and James and Camile, the fashion designers, are really nice and funny people. The photoshoot was a breeze and yes I did eat. I ate with Sandra and her baby," Niall replies as he sits up with a smile, laughing when Harry sits up and looks at Niall excitedly.

"She brought her baby?! Niall, why didn't you tell me!" Harry exclaims and it only makes the blonde laugh harder.

"Well yeah, her husband is here as well. She said we could babysit tomorrow so they could go on a date."

"This could be great practice for us." Niall simply rolled his eyes but cuddled back into Harry.

*

It's seven o'clock now and Niall and Harry are on their way to the red carpet riding with Sandra and her husband, Mason. Niall's completely nervous and Harry doesn't know what to do to make his boyfriend feel slightly better. He just hopes Niall can calm down a bit before the show starts.

"Alright boys, you'll walk and pose for the cameras and talk to the press who are here covering the event. Don't get caught up on personal questions and don't give long interviews. We need to keep the line moving and avoid talking about what's happened with Corey and the whole leak of those Hendall pictures," Sandra warns them with a look and her husband rolls his eyes in amusement at his wife.

"Got it," Niall and Harry answer together.

"We'll meet you two inside with Shawn and Oliver. Remember just to walk, pose and answer quickly and keep going."

"I'm sure we got it," Niall tells her just as the driver pulls up where the drop off zone is and where the carpet starts.

"Have fun boys and don't give Sandra a heart attack," Mason jokes and the two laugh, Sandra only glaring at her husband.

It's past seven and the carpet is filled with the other models, the press, other celebs and the crew working at the red carpet to keep the line organized. The car door closest to the carpet opens and Harry walks out first and then he helps Niall out of the car. Harry takes Niall's hand and gives him a reassuring smile, watching the blonde take in a deep breath before smiling back at him.

"Alright boys," says a girl with a strong Italian accent and around their age with a headset and gold colored lanyard around her neck. "Just walk down and stop on the white circles for no more than thirty seconds at each."

"Thank you," Harry tells her as he leads Niall over to the first white circle.

Immediately flashes began to go off like crazy and Harry wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist, the two smiling as they posed for the first few.

"Doing okay?" Harry asks into the blonde's ear as they stand on the fourth circle with only two more to go.

"Yeah, just feels like this is the longest carpet I've done," Niall replies back with his smile never slipping from his face, his arm around Harry as well.

Harry chuckled and pressed a kiss to his temple, resisting the urge to roll his eyes when more flashes went off and the camera guys told them to do it again. By the time they reached the last circle, Harry and Niall were both fed up with everything and to finish off, they shared a small peck before walking off to let the next people walking through finish.

"You ready for the questions?" Another crew member told them, a clipboard in hand as he walked the couple to the where the press was.

"Yeah," Niall replies.

"Okay uh how long you want to take here is up to you, really. Good luck!" And with that, the couple were practically shoved to the area where the interviewers were.

"Niall, Harry! Over here!" Shouted a correspondent of E! News so they focused on her and her friendly smile. "Boys, you both look amazing tonight!"

"Thank you," Harry replies with a smile, right hand holding onto Niall's left.

"Niall, this is your first major fashion event, how are you feeling right now?" She asked and suddenly about six other different microphones were invading their space.

"Uh pretty nervous but excited," Niall tells her with a small chuckle, giving Harry's hand a small squeeze. "Really looking forward to this and very thankful to be able to be part of the Danger&Wilde event."

"And Harry, how are you feeling at the moment?" Someone else asks and Harry smiles at them before looking at Niall.

"Well what can I say? I'm just really proud of Niall and I know how hard he works and he truly deserves this and more," Harry answers, looking away from Niall to look over at the reporters and some 'aww' making both Niall and Harry chuckle.

"And about those engagement rumors?"

"No there's no engagement. Not right now anyways," Harry replied with a smirk and Niall shook his head though there was a smile on his face.

After their interviews, the couple headed inside the building where the show would be held and Niall got escorted to the backstage area right away leaving Harry to linger around. He grabs a drink from the bar area and eventually bumps into Oliver and Shawn.

"Where's Niall?" Shawn asks.

"He got taken backstage right away since they need him ready right away," Harry explains to the couple who nod.

"I saw Kendall on our way in," Oliver warns Harry who sighs.

"I knew she would be attending but didn't think it'd be for this show. Just hope she doesn't talk to Niall."

Sandra walked over to the two with her husband and greeted them all.

"The show is about to start so they want us to start taking our seats," she says, her arm around her husband's and the trio nod before following her to take their seats.

It's eight o'clock when the lights begin to dim and the runway ones come on, leaving the audience in the dark as James Wilde and Camile Danger take the stage.

"Before we begin our show tonight, we just want to say a big thank you to all of you for coming and showing your support during our first big fashion week event," Camile begins with a large smile. She's wearing a long red gown that sparkles under the spotlight and hugs her body in all the right ways. Her caramel colored hair is styled in soft waves and her ruby red lips are stretched into a smile as she speaks into the microphone.

"Yes, thank you all for coming tonight and we hope you like this peek at the new collections," James said next. He's in a black tux with a red tie to match Camille's dress and and he stands about three inches taller than his partner. "Let the show begin!"

The two walk off stage with a short round of applause and music by Calvin Harris and Rihanna comes on. A large smile comes on Harry's face as Niall walks out about thirty seconds later looking full of confidence and not at all how nervous he'd been that morning. Harry manages to snap a few pictures and then he's clapping along as he watches his boyfriend his on stage. He's so proud of his boy he's actually feeling a bit close to tears right now.

The rest of the show goes on without a hitch and before Harry knows it, Niall's walking out again to model the last outfit of the night and Niall and Harry lock eyes briefly as the blonde walks by their area. Harry blows him a kiss and Niall smiled. The audience stands up and claps as all the models gather at the start of the runway with James and Camile to take a bow. Harry's clapping with a large smile on his face and so are Oliver and Shawn and Harry's sure he can hear Sandra sniffle behind him.

"Thank you to all of our wonderful models for making this first night successful!" James calls as two members of the crew from backstage walk down opposite ends giving each model a bouquet of a dozen flowers.

"Thank you to our audience as well and we hope you stay and enjoy our after party!" Camile announced. "One final round of applause for our ladies and gentlemen for doing such a spectacular job tonight!"

More clapping went off and the models all took another bow, Harry spotting Niall standing between a girl with black hair and a guy with curly strawberry blonde hair. After that the models headed backstage to change and the audience began to go mingle, James and Camile going to talk to the press.

"I'm gonna go buy some flowers!" Harry told the other two boys through the loud music.

"Wait, we're coming with," Shawn said as he took Oliver's hand and the three began to head out.

*

The three boys made their way backstage where they found Niall in some joggers and a simple t-shirt talking to Sandra and Mason, his eyes lighting up when he saw Harry. Niall excused himself and ran over to Harry, jumping into his arms and causing Harry to laugh as he held his boy tightly as best he could with one arm.

"You were so fucking amazing up there," Harry tells him.

"I was so nervous though," Niall laughs as he presses a kiss to Harry's cheek and gets down.

"But you looked beautiful," Harry says before he hands Niall the flowers and cups his face to kiss him, hearing the other models around them aww.

They pull away afterwards and Harry lets Shawn and Oliver congratulate the blonde and hand him their flowers. After that Niall drags Harry off to the dressing room so he can put his suit from earlier back on.

"How was it? Like what did you feel while you were up there?" Harry asked as he sets the flowers down on the vanity along with the ones he got earlier and closes the door so his boyfriend can change.

"It felt so crazy! Like I couldn't believe that I was the one up there!" Niall explains excitedly, jumping around as he struggles to take off his pants. "And then when I saw you sitting there looking so proud and happy it made me feel all warm inside and like I don't even know how to explain it."

"That's because you're the most important person in my life and you amaze me every single day with the things you do," Harry explains as he pulls a half naked Niall into his arms. "You're my star, the most beautiful star I've ever seen in my life."

Niall blushed and leaned up to kiss Harry softly, closing his eyes as he cupped his boyfriend's face. Harry pulled Niall closer and deepened the kiss before pulling away.

"I love you," Niall says softly as he looks into Harry's eyes.

"I love you more," Harry jokes in a tone just as soft with a smile on his face and slightly teary eyes.

"Not possible."

After Niall got changed, he grabbed his flowers and the two headed out of the dressing room and walked over to the after party area.

"Took you guys long enough," Shawn teased with a smirk on his face and Oliver rolled his eyes at his boyfriend.

"Well sorry I needed some alone time with my boyfriend," Niall replies as he leans into Harry's side and Harry chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Niall's shoulders.

It's later that night when Niall and Harry are alone and drinking, laughing as they tell each other jokes when Kendall approaches them. Niall sighed when he saw her and finished the rest of his drink while Harry gave his boyfriend an apologetic smile.

"Need something, princess?" Niall asks her in an annoyed tone as he moved to lean into Harry who gladly wrapped his arms around the blonde.

"You know it's funny how obvious it is that you're only using Harry to get higher up. I mean, otherwise why would you be in fashion week?" Kendall asked the blonde who laughed while Harry glared at the girl in front of him.

"Oh sweetie, I had this spot secured way before Harry and I got back together. Keep trying though, I'm sure you'll find something eventually to bring me down. For now, just keep feeling angry that I'm doing this without having a famous dad or using my family's wealth. Oh and I'm sorry about Harry."

"You're such a-"

"Careful with your words, Jenner," Harry warned her, still glaring at her and well if looks could kill she would have been long dead by now.

Niall smirked and waved at her, causing her to huff and stomp away. Harry chuckled and rubbed his boyfriend's side lovingly.

"Is it bad that I loved you standing up to Kendall like that?" Harry asked as he lowered his head to nip at the skin of Niall's neck.

"You freak, but if you want we can head out now and have our own celebration?" Niall suggested as he turned around and pressed himself up against Harry.

"Let's get going, then."

Harry took Niall by the hand and the two began to make their way out of the building, weaving through people and stumbling and giggling a bit drunkenly as they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on a new story where two of the boys are the dads and the other three are the kids and it's all cute and fluffy so far and I hope to have the first chapter out as soon as I figure out if I want the dads to be Liam and Louis or Zayn and Liam
> 
> Also to my Count On Me and Pumpkin fans, updates for both stories will be up next week!! :)


	19. "Beyond beautiful"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **harrystyles:** @niallhoran Beyond beautiful and super proud of you my love xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics used
> 
> Ed Sheeran - Photograph

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//September 22//

[picture of Niall walking down the runway]

Liked by gemmastyles, lukehemmings and 1,082,286 others

 **harrystyles:** @niallhoran Beyond beautiful and super proud of you my love xx

View all 45,234 comments

 **gemmastyles:** Look at my baby brother! He looks so gorgeous up there!!

 **HoranxStyles:** my baby, he's so pretty :)

*

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** "No there's no engagement. Not right now anyways," Harry on those engagement rumors  
|  
**My Son @smolbeanlou:** @NarryUpdates okay but that means it's gonna happen and I'm so excited!!

*

[picture of Niall on the runway]

Liked by harrystyles, Aria_Martin, camila_cabello and 259,973 others

 **niallhoran:** Milan Fashion Week - 21/9 ; Big thank you to @WildeJames and @CamilleDanger for letting me a part of this wonderful night!!

View all 5,772 comments

 **Aria_Martin:** So proud of you, boo! Miss you xx

 **louist91:** sick mate!! Super proud to see ya up there, lad

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Harry and him were having lunch in their room when there's a knock on the door and Niall goes out to open the door, smiling when he sees Sandra, her husband and their baby. The one year old giggled in excitement when he saw Niall and reached over for the blonde who quickly took the baby.

"Hi buddy! Ready to spend some time with your uncle Niall?" He cooed at the baby who clapped and Sandra and her husband both laughed.

"Thank you for doing this," Sandra says as she hands him the baby bag.

"It's no problem. You two go enjoy the city and this little man is in great hands," Niall reassures the couple who nod.

"Alright. There are nappies and toys in there along with wipes and some bottles and a pacifier and-"

"Sandra, honey, he's babysat Andrew before," Sandra's husband interrupted her and Niall chuckled.

"Alright okay, uh so we'll be back later. Call if anything happens."

"No worries."

The two left and Niall closed the door, Andy babbling away in his arms and Niall humoring the one year old. Harry looked up from his food and smiled at the sight of his boyfriend holding a baby.

"Look Andy, that's Harry. Can you say hi?" Niall asked the baby as he pointed at Harry who waved enthusiastically.

"Hi! Hi! Hi!" Andy chanted, his large honey colored eyes staring at Harry.

Niall and Harry both chuckled and the blonde set Andy down on the ground watching him crawl over towards Harry. He can walk, but not very well and prefers to crawl. Niall set the bag on the dresser so Andy wouldn't be able to get it and when he turned back, he saw Andy standing up holding onto Harry's knees and asking for some of the fruit from Harry's plate.

"He's not allergic to anything, is he?" Harry asks his boyfriend who shakes his head. "Alright Andy, want a strawberry?"

"Yes!" Andy cheered and opened his mouth expectantly and Harry chuckled as he cut the strawberry into a small piece for Andy to chew and then used the fork to feed him.

"Is it yummy, bug?" Niall asked as he sat next to Harry, running his fingers through Andy's long and messy blonde hair.

"Yummy! More!"

"As you wish, master," Harry joked and gave Andy another piece, eventually pulling him up onto his lap to feed him. "He's so big now. The last time I saw him he was like three months old and this tiny little thing."

"Yeah, he's growing up pretty quick," Niall says with a hint of nostalgia in his tone.

Within the next hour, Andy has made a mess on the hotel room floor with his toys and the pillows on the couches. They've gone through three nappy changes and the Cheerios he was supposed to have as a snack were also scattered around the floor and Harry and Niall were trying hard not to step on them as they moved around cleaning.

"Alright little man, nap time," Harry calls as he sees Andy sitting on the floor and rubbing at his eyes tiredly. Andy doesn't like the idea of that though, not when he's having too much fun with his uncles.

"No!" Andy screams as he tries to get away from Harry by crawling as fast as he can, making Harry chuckle.

"Yes."

Andy starts crying as Harry picks him up, but is quickly shushed when Niall places the bottle between his lips and the one year old starts to drink his milk as he settles in Harry's arms.

"We keep this love in this photograph. We made these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing. Hearts were never broken. Times forever frozen," Harry sang softly as he sat on the couch with Andy in his arms growing more and more tired as Harry continues to sing. "...When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me. Under the lamppost back on 6th street. Hearing you whisper through the phone. Wait for me to come home."

Andy was fast asleep by the end of the song and his bottle was empty so Harry carefully stood up and placed the one year old in the middle of the bed, surrounding him with pillows. Niall walked over with a smile and Andy's blue baby blanket, draping it over him gently and watching his little fingers curl into a fist before relaxing.

"You've got a magic touch," Niall tells his boyfriend quietly as they clean up Andy's toys.

"Kids love me," Harry says casually with a shrug and Niall smiles. "I really want our own little human."

"I know love, but we gotta wait, yeah? I'd like to at least graduate college first and then we can start talking about kids."

"Yeah, I know. And our parents would want us to get married first anyways so I guess we've got awhile."

Niall chuckled and rolled his eyes.

//October 31//

It's been over a month since Niall's last seen Harry. Of course they Skype each other and talk on the phone as much as they can, but it's not the same. Niall's been too busy with his final year of university and Harry's been busy with tour and promoting their second single from their last album. They finally get to see each other today though, since it's FOUR's final concert of their current tour and final show for who knows how long so Niall's attending along with the other boys' families.

Unfortunately Niall wasn't able to make it before the show started to see his boyfriend so instead he just joined the families in their little section and greeted Anne and Gemma with hugs before greeting the others. Phoebe and Daisy were attached to him, asking him questions about Fashion Week and everything until their mom told them to leave Niall alone and apologized to the blonde.

"I don't mind," Niall told her honestly, letting Daisy wrap her arms around his waist and looking at her mom as if saying _'Ha!'_.

FOUR took the stage after their opening act and Niall smiled as the fans screamed louder at the first notes of the song began to play. Almost right away Niall and the boys' families began to sing along, Harry approaching their area and blowing Niall a kiss.

As Niall looked up at his boyfriend on stage, he couldn't help but to think to a year ago, when things were slowly starting to go wrong. Niall was working too much and too busy with school to visit Harry on tour. Harry was busy with tour, promoting their new single and adding the finishing touches to the album. Their fights were becoming frequent and Harry hadn't spent time at home since mid August. It was all a mess, especially with Niall bottling up his feelings.

Things are completely different now. Sure they'd just spent a whole month apart, but it didn't feel like that had put even the slightest strain on their relationship. If anything, they'd both cherished the time spent away from each other and were counting down the minutes to be together again.

*

"Bunny!" Harry cheered with a large smile and Niall quickly jumped into his arms.

"Bear! I've missed you," Niall says before he leans in to press his lips against Harry's, his legs around the curly haired lad's waist and arms around his neck.

"Oi! Oi!" Louis called as he entered the room with the other two boys, making the couple break apart and grin at each other before Harry set the blonde down on his feet so Niall could greet the others.

"Excellent show, lads!" Niall tells them with a large grin as he goes over to hug them one by one. "Oh and I just came to get you lads because your families are waiting in the eating area with the rest of the crew."

"Alright, then let's go," Zayn says as he grabs Louis' hand and the two lead the way out with Liam walking behind them and then Harry and Niall who have their arms wrapped around each other.

When they walked in, their families shouted a surprise and the room was decorated with balloons and there were cakes on one of the tables. Even their crew were there and they all looked happy yet sad. It was a very bittersweet moment if Niall was being honest. After years of touring together, this was it. There was no 'See you next tour!', in fact, there was no see you next year. They'd be heading their separate ways for who knows how long.

"Oh boys, you've made us all so proud these last few years," begins Karen as she approaches to hug her son and then his bandmates, even Niall who was a bit shocked but accepted the hug anyways.

"And we just wanted to celebrate this moment with you since it is the last day of a very successful tour," Anne continues as she hugs them all, pressing a kiss to Niall's cheek. Niall could understand Anne hugging him, she is after all his boyfriend's mother and she'd practically cried when Niall and Harry told her they were back together.

"Thank you for this, honestly. You guys shouldn't have," Louis tells them with a large smile, carrying Ernest and Zayn was carrying Doris who was busy running her hands though his growing beard.

"Oh none sense boys," Trisha says as her, Lou and Lottie begin to hand everyone champagne glasses while Dan, Louis' stepdad, and Liam's dad opened the bottles and served everyone their glass.

They'd gotten rid of the tables and chairs so everyone could fit and form a large deformed circle. The younger kids were served their choice of apple juice or grape juice. Niall stood next to Harry, the taller's arm around the blonde's waist and Anne was on Harry's other side and Gemma and her boyfriend to Niall's other side. After them was Louis with his family and then Zayn and his followed by Liam and his directly across from Niall in the circle. After them and completing the circle was the rest of the band, Lou Teasdale with Lux, the security team, and their vocal coach. It was a full room and Niall loved looking around staring at their smiling faces. Som familiar and some not so much since the boys had gotten a few new crew members at the start of the tour.

"A few words from FOUR?" Louis' mom asked with a large grin as she looked around at the four lads who nodded.

"Um well first of all, thank you to everyone we've worked with through the years. We've worked with a lot of people, some of who don't work with us anymore but we still want to thank everyone who was ever part of this family for all of your help, patience and dedication," Harry starts, tightening his hold on Niall a bit as he looked around the room with slightly teary eyes. "We couldn't have done this without all of you, really. Five years are easy to say, but were hard to live through."

"We've all been itching for this break, but uh hopefully when someday down the line we decide to come back, hopefully we can count on you guys again," Liam tells their crew who all nod and reassure them that they will, but it'd be difficult. They're all bound to find different jobs during their time off.

After their short celebration, they all parted ways and the boys said goodbye to the families before heading to the tour bus, eager to continue their celebration that night just the five of them together and spend the rest of the night just chilling and drinking.

//November 1//

"Home sweet home!" Harry called as he entered their home with his bags, a large smile on his face and Niall rolling his eyes behind him.

"Gemma's bringing Trixie over later," Niall says as he closes the front door and heads further inside to go to the living room and sit down on the couch tiredly.

"So why don't we spend a little alone time then?" Harry suggests as he pulls Niall to sit on his lap, putting his hands under Niall's sweater to rub at Niall's bare back with his cold hands and Niall gasped, trying to get his hands away from his skin.

"You are not touching me with those cold hands," Niall warned his boyfriend as he grabbed Harry's wrists and tugged at them until they were out and away from his skin. "I'm hungry though."

"When aren't you hungry?"

"Dick."

"What do you want, love? I can order something or make you something."

"Hmm I'm kinda in the mood for ice cream?" Niall asked hopefully. Harry has been going through a health kick and decided to drag Niall along with him and thus depriving him of greasy food.

"I'll give you ice cream if we can talk about something first," Harry tells Niall as he moves the blonde to straddle his lap and places his large hands on the blonde's hips. "It's nothing bad, I promise. I just think that we should talk about this since we've both been tossing ideas and such."

"Um okay? What do you want to talk about?" Niall asks softly as he starts playing with Harry's hair and twirls a piece around his fingers.

"About babies."

"Babies?"

"Yes. I mean, I know we've talked about how many we want and well since the band stuff ends this year, I was kinda hoping we could maybe possibly start planning our next step?" Harry questions a little hesitantly, not knowing how Niall would take it since the blonde was reaching the peak of his career.

"Okay," Niall said simply, a smile slowly forming on his face. "To be honest, I've been thinking about this as well. I mean, I'd like to graduate first you know? But we could start planning early. Like are we going to adopt or have a surrogate?"

"Well I was thinking about having a surrogate? We could have a mini you and a mini me first?" Harry suggests and Niall chuckles at the idea of that.

"Can we have a mini Harry first? Imagine that, a little boy or girl with your curls and pretty green eyes?" Niall giggles as he leans down to peck Harry's lips.

"Then are we really doing this?"

"We really are, bear. So now what?"

"Well we can start looking into potential candidates and we'd need to plan meetings with her and a doctor and all that jazz. It's a bit of a long process and all, but if we can start looking now, I'm sure we can probably have a baby by next time this year. What do you say?" Harry informs the blonde who nods. "We can have our first Christmas as a family."

"Sounds like a plan my love. Can't wait."

"Once we start our break, we can sit down and start looking."

"Ice cream?" Niall asks hopefully.

"Ice cream," Harry says with a smile as he stands up with Niall in his arms and carries him to the kitchen, making Niall laugh and hold on tight.

//November 4//

"You wanna come out?" Niall asks Louis who nods.

They're all at Harry and Niall's place for a nice dinner before the FOUR boys head off on their promo, Sophia even joined them this time along with Lottie and Tommy who were staying in London for a few days. Niall and Louis were out in the backyard with Trixie who needed to run around for a bit since she'd been inside all day.

"I do, but I don't know how? Like the doing a statement thing is kinda overused. I wanna be dramatic about it," Louis explained, using wild hand gestures that made Niall laugh and shake his head.

"So what, you want to scream it out? Or would you rather grab a random bloke from the street and kiss him in front of the paps?" Niall asked Louis with a snicker, making the older lad glare at him but then think.

"That would be a great idea if I were single."

"What'd be a great idea?" Zayn asks as he steps outside and Niall giggles as Louis mouths 'oops'. Trixie barks from her spot by a tree and effectively scares a stray little squirrel.

"Niall's just giving me ideas on how to come out, babe," Louis tells Zayn with an innocent smile and the dark haired male rolls his eyes as he leans down to peck Louis' lips.

"Have you thought of any good ones?"

"No, though Neil suggested I should just kiss a guy in front of some paps."

"Or how about you look for a better way to do this? As in do a statement?" Zayn suggests and Louis huffs as Niall lets out a loud laugh.

"What's the point in that? It's boring and overused."

Zayn sighs and Niall calls Trixie back. She runs over to him and Niall immediately starts cooing at the dog who practically melts at having Niall's attention.

"You really need an actual baby," Louis comments with a small frown as he watches Niall. "This is ridiculous."

"Working on it," Niall lets it slip and then his eyes widened. It's not that they didn't want their friends and family to know, but they wanted to keep it a secret until they found the perfect surrogate and all.

"You're what?"

"Oops. Look, I wasn't meant to let it slip and don't tell anyone else or tell Harry that it slipped, but we've talked about starting a family as soon as the band stuff is over and I graduate."

"I call dibs on being the godfather then!" Louis exclaims as he hugs Niall tightly.

"You might have to fight Shawn on that one, but sure," Niall says with a laugh.

"I'm happy for you, babes. I'm glad that things are finally going right for you two," Zayn tells Niall honestly and the blonde thanks him before they head back inside.

"Boys, I was just about to go get you. Dinner's ready," Lottie tells them with a smile and the three nod and head towards the dinning room where Sophia and Liam were helping Harry set up the table.

Niall walked over to Harry kissed his cheek as he took the eating utensils from his hands and helped him out. Lottie and Tommy walked out of the kitchen with a casserole each and set it on the table. They were going to have a proper Sunday Roast and Niall and Harry had spent all day in the kitchen.

"This looks fucking amazing," Louis said as he peeked into the trays of food and his hand was slapped away by Niall as he reached over to take a pinch of a vegetable. "Ow!"

"You're going to wait," Niall scolded him.

"And I thought you'd be the fun one," Louis grumbles and Niall shot him a look.

"Alright! Let's sit and eat!" Harry announced once they were all done setting the table.

Dinner was a loud affair. There was lots of laughing and talking over each other, but it was an enjoyable evening. The boys would be leaving again soon and Niall just wanted to enjoy his time with them before they started going off and doing their own things next year.

"Anyone have anything planned for the break?" Sophia asks the boys as she grabs her cup of tea, dinner now over and they're just sitting around in the living room relaxing.

"I'm planning on working on some music of my own. Finally get a chance to do my own stuff, what I really want," Zayn says with a smile, his arm around Louis' shoulders and the older man leaning into his side feeling full and sleepy. "I've already got a few offers from record labels and I'm looking into which one is right."

"That's awesome, mate!" Liam congratulated his best friend who thanked him. "I'm still not sure. Just want to wait and see what happens, take a few months off."

"Well I for one am planning on doing absolutely nothing," Louis declared as he let out a sigh as if to prove a point and closed his eyes. "At least I hope."

Niall and Lottie both laughed while Harry rolled his eyes. Trixie was laying by the fireplace just staring at them and occasionally lifting her head.

"How about you, Harold?" Louis asked the curly haired lad who was holding Niall's hand and playing with his fingers, sliding one of his own rings onto one of Niall's fingers. He was anxious about finding a right time to ask Niall to marry him. He didn't want it to be anytime soon, considering they just got back together, but he also didn't want to wait too long.

"We'll see what happens. Nothing is set in stone right now, but there are a few things out there that I can't talk about," Harry tells them with a smile and they all complain and Niall rolls his eyes.

"Oh please, hush up. He hasn't even told me, what makes you think he'll tell you guys," the blonde said and Harry laughs.

"I love you though," Harry says softly as he leans in to bury his face into Niall's neck. "And you're pretty."

Niall scoffs, but Harry knows he's blushing. He doesn't have to be looking at the blonde, he just knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of really want to write a Narry mpreg (since I've been reading too much of those lately) but kinda really need to stop writing so many new stories.
> 
> I also kind of really want to cry because I hit my arm against the side of the door a few minutes ago and it really hurts but I'm sucking it up because there's a four year old child in front of me
> 
> Also I just ran out of chapters so there will probably only be one update next week :(


	20. "I think"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** I've never felt this sick before. I think I'm dying

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//November 13//

 **FOUR @FOUROfficial:** Our new album, Made In The AM is available now!

 **FOUR @FOURdailynews:** Now that MITAM is officially out, what's your favorite song on the album?  
|  
 **Jess @Jesssssy_16:** @FOURdailynews Walking In The Wind is definitely a jam, too bad we won't be able to hear it live :(

 **Narry @NarryStoran:** @FOURdailynews Long Way Down because Niall wrote it about narry breaking up and it makes me cry

 **My Son @LouSmolBean:** okay, but Olivia, can they like explain? Or is this another Diana??

*

[picture of the thank you note on the MITAM cd]

2,192 likes

 **FOURupdates:** Here's the part where they thank Niall: "We'd also like to give a very special thanks to our fifth member, Niall Horan, who without him we would have been a mess. Thank you Niall for all of your hard work and writing some amazing songs for us and helping us make this last album a special one. We love you Irish!"

View all 96 comments

 **softnouis_:** how cute!!

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~ ~ ~**

The day of their album release is filled with interviews and performances here and there, in New York. Harry's a bit bummed that Niall couldn't tag along, but he understood because his blonde boyfriend had an exam at school and couldn't miss it.

During interviews they ask Harry about Niall and he can't help but to answer those questions with a large smile and love dripping from his voice. The boys tease him and when they're doing an interview with an audience, they all aww and make him blush. Talking about Niall has become Harry's favorite topic in the last two nearly three years. Harry loves talking about the boy who stole his heart ever since that text.

"And what are your plans for this break, boys?" The interviewer, Sarah Roberts, asks them with a smile after the FOUR lads finish performing one of their new songs.

"Rest. Like get a lot of that," Louis replies with a smirk, looking at Zayn briefly.

"It's more of a wait and see what happens type of situation," Liam begins to say into his microphone, arms crossed across his chest. "But I'll definitely be doing a bit of songwriting and we'll see where that takes me."

"Like Tommo said, rest. We've had it rough with this schedule and I'd really like to spend some time with my family and maybe do a bit of music," Zayn says with a nod as he moves a bit closer to Louis and bumping shoulders with him.

"And you Harry?" Sarah asks Harry who thinks about it a bit.

"Just spend time with my gorgeous boyfriend and cheer him on as he finishes his final school year," says Harry with a large grin and the crowd aww as Zayn bumps into him with a teasing grin. "I've got a few things that I can't talk about yet so soon but for now it's just going to be spending time at home with Niall and visiting our families."

"And speaking of Niall, he wrote one of my favorite songs on this album called Long Way Down which is pretty heartbreaking if I do say so. Was he ever hesitant on handing that song over to you guys? I must imagine it's pretty personal," Sarah asks and the boys kinda look at each other because they can't really speak from Niall's point of view and what actually went through his head, so they let the person who knows him the most answer.

"Uh it was a bit hard for him since he wrote it during the time that we'd broken up and we asked him if he was completely sure since he's private about the personal stuff he writes and I like respecting that," Harry explains to Sarah who nods in understanding.

"And how are things between the two of you now?"

"Better than ever." Is all Harry says with that same love struck smile on his face that earns him a pat on the back by Liam.

//November 24//

Harry enters his house and is greeted by silence and almost complete darkness. The TV in the living room is on, it also being the only source of light, and he finds Niall curled up on the gray sectional sofa fast asleep with a light purple knit throw blanket and Trixie curled on the floor below him. Harry smiles softly and drops his bags by the couch before walking carefully towards the blonde after removing his shoes, his sock covered feet padding against the floor softly but Trixie lifted her head in alarm, but then wagged her tail excitedly when she saw that it was only Harry.

"Hi love," Harry greeted her in a whisper as he scratched the top of her head. "Taking care of mommy, huh? You're such a good girl."

Harry then moved towards Niall who's cheeks were a bit flushed and he frowned worriedly.

"Babe," Harry called as he sat on the ground and ran his hand through Niall's hair to rouse the boy up from his slumber.

It took a few tries, but eventually his favorite pair of blue eyes stared back into his green ones and Harry grinned at the tired looking boy looking all soft and cuddly.

"What are you doing here?" Niall mumbled, confusion written across his face and Harry bit back a laugh. His boyfriend was too cute.

"Because I live here," Harry replied as he laughs a bit. "Silly."

"What?"

"Babe, I'm home."

"Harry!" Niall exclaimed, more alert then before and launched himself at his boyfriend, knocking him backwards on the ground.

"Hi bunny," Harry laughs as he lays on the ground rubbing Niall's back. "Been okay?"

"No. I feel like crap," Niall mumbled as he buried his face into the crook of Harry's neck.

"Oh babe, you're burning up," Harry says worriedly as he feels Niall's hot skin against his neck. "Have you taken something?"

"Yeah like an hour ago I took some medicine but I don't feel like it's done anything."

"Well how about we get you upstairs and in bed and I'll make you some tea. You hungry?"

"No. My stomach hasn't taken food too well all day," Niall tells him as he sits up and let's Harry up from the ground. "And I had a shitty day at the shoot."

"Well come on then. I'll take care of my bunny like that time when we met," Harry coos at the blonde as he helps him up from the ground and begins to lead him upstairs. "What happened at the photoshoot?"

"The photographer was an ass and I hope I never have to work with him ever again," Niall grumbles angrily, sneezing a few times right after.

"Bless you. Did he say anything bad to you? If he did I'll-"

"It's fine Haz, Sandra already put on quite the show and we left before we could even finish. It's happened before and I shouldn't complain because this is the job that brings me money, well the songs I wrote for you lot bring me money as well, but like, it sucks. I hate working with assholes like that who think they can walk all over me and it hurts. I mean, the first photographer I ever worked with made me cry in the middle of the shoot and this last one was pretty close." Niall has a frown on his face and his blue eyes look sad and Harry doesn't like that at all. He wishes he could have been there for his bunny to defend him from that asshole who dared to say bad things about the gorgeous human that is his boyfriend.

"I'm sorry you have to go through that kind of stuff, baby," Harry says sadly as he runs a hand through Niall's messy hair and sits next to him on the bed. "And I'm sorry that I couldn't be there when you needed me."

"You don't have to apologize. Now get me that tea you promised, my throat is killing me."

Harry leaned forward and pecked Niall's lips before heading downstairs. Before entering the kitchen, he turned off the TV and smiled at Trixie who was curled up on her bed. Harry then put the kettle on and as he waited answered some work related emails.

A few minutes later he was heading upstairs with Niall's tea and he smiled when he found the blonde hugging his old stuffed rabbit, the very first one Harry gave him.

"Here's your tea, my precious," Harry says as he sets the cup down on the nightstand next to Niall who thanks him quietly.

After Niall drinks his tea, he's fast asleep again and Harry tucks him in before going back downstairs to pick up his bags.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//November 27//

[picture of Shawn's hand holding Oliver's and Oliver's back in the shot]

Liked by niallhoran, camila_cabello, louist91 and 827,820 others

 **shawnmendes:** Guess we're one of those cliche couples @Oli_Brookes

View all 41,276 comments

 **niallhoran:** And gross

 **camila_cabello:** otp!! I love you guys ;-;

 **MendesMyLove:** oh em gee!!! Who would have thought you two would end up together but you're both sooo cute

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** I've never felt this sick before. I think I'm dying  
|  
 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** @NiallOfficial I doubt it since you took the time to tweet, thought you were sleeping  
|  
 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** @Harry_Styles stop tweeting me and come cuddle me you twat. And bring more blankets  
|  
 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** @NiallOfficial as you wish my queen  
 **~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//December 13//

The days leading up to their final performance as a band were long and filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, they were glad to finally get the break they deserved and on the other they weren't exactly ready to stop doing what they loved together. They all knew that even though they'd made countless promises of keeping in touch and hanging out together as much as they could, that it wouldn't happen. They all already had their plans and it'd be difficult to all meet up. It was going to be a hard transition.

"You boys ready?" Niall asks as they sit around backstage in the X Factor waiting to get called up on stage. A sad smile is on Niall's face as he watches the boys.

"Hell no," Louis says with a small scoff as he scrolls through his phone. "But we're still up for tonight, right?"

"Duh."

"You sure, love? You're still not a hundred percent better," Harry asks his boyfriend worriedly. The blonde still had a slight cough and he'd been awfully sick since that day Harry came home.

"I'll be fine, Harold," Niall reassured him with a smile, leaning up to peck his lips.

Harry simply places his hands on Niall's hips and pulls him in for another kiss. Niall giggles and pulls away just as someone from the crew walks up to the band and says it's nearly time.

"Alright lads, smash it out there," Niall tells them as he watches them finish putting on their suit jackets and check their reflections in the mirror.

Their performance is by far one of the most emotional ones Niall has witnessed. There's images in the background from their five years together and it brings tears to Niall's eyes. By the end, he's holding them back and clapping loudly along with everyone else as they watch the four boys embrace tightly on stage.

Afterwards, they all head off stage and pull Niall into their own group hug, Harry pressing his lips to Niall's temple.

"Alright lads, leads go celebrate!" Louis cheers after they change out of their suits and are ready to go.

"Same place as usual?" Liam asks them and they all nod before beginning to head out.

"Feeling okay?" Niall asks as he wraps an arm around Harry's waist as they walk towards their car.

"Yeah," Harry says as he looks at Niall with a smile.

At the club, they head to the VIP area straight away and when Harry sits down, he pulls Niall down onto his lap. Niall giggles and pecks Harry's lips, Liam and Zayn walking over with beers.

"Drink up, lads! Here's to the future!" Louis shouts excitedly as he holds his drink up and the rest follow.

"To the future!" The rest echo happily.

Sophia arrives a few minutes later with Lottie and Tommy and afterwards, Niall and Harry disappear in the dance floor. They dance around for a few songs and then go and get more drinks with the lads.

"Neil, lad, let's go have a smoke!" Louis tells the blonde as he grabs his hand and begins to tug him off of Harry's lap.

"I learned my lesson last time, no thanks," Niall tells him, clinging to Harry's arm to avoid getting up from Louis' constant pulling.

"Please!"

"Fine."

Louis and Niall head outside for a quick smoke and Louis leans against a wall looking to be deep in thought. A few feet away from them there's a small group of two girls and a guy laughing and drinking and out for a smoke break as well, but they don't pay the two any attention.

"You okay?" Niall asks him as he stands close to Louis, bumping shoulders with each other.

"Zayn doesn't want to come out," Louis eventually says.

"Like ever?"

"Well I don't know. He just said that it wasn't something he wanted to do now or anytime in the near future. We argued about this a few days ago and he says that he'll support me if I decide to do it, but either way I'm still going to be hiding a part of me Niall and I don't want that. I- I want to be able to be as happy as you and Harry or as Shawn and Oliver but Zayn doesn't want to be out."

Niall frowns and steals the cigarette from Louis' fingers and takes a long hit before pulling it away and blowing out the smoke as he looks for a way to answer to Louis' problem.

"But just because he doesn't want to, don't hold yourself back from doing so. Maybe seeing you do it will make him think about it," Niall told Louis as he hands him the cigarette back. "Maybe he's just scared of the reactions and all."

"Maybe, but it hurts a bit and I'm also terrified, but I need to do this for myself. I mean, management let him break things off with Perrie a few months ago so to the rest of the world he's single, but then what. Is he getting another beard in a few months time? It wouldn't be fair to him or me."

"Things are okay between you two, right?" Niall asked, just wanting to make sure since he'd noticed that Zayn and Louis had been a little distant since they arrived at the X Factor studios.

"We had a fight this morning, but you don't need to worry your pretty little head over that."

After finishing another cigarette, the two went to head inside using the side door but found that it couldn't open from the outside so they sighed and began to walk towards the front of the building, shivering in the late December night. They both groan when they see camera flashes go off and about three or four paps standing a few feet ahead of them being held back by a velvet rope and a security guy.

"I'm gonna go blind one of these days," Niall said as he stumbled over the uneven pavement and Louis snickered, reaching a hand out to steady the blonde.

Louis' laughter was cut short when one of the paps started asking rude questions directed at Niall who frowned and looked up at the guy. He looked familiar to Niall, but the blonde couldn't figure out why.

"Hey, you mind shutting the fuck up?!" Louis shouted angrily at the guy who's started to insult Niall as he stepped over to block Niall's view from the guy that Niall now recognizes as Martin, the guy who ruined his interview back in February.

"What? Blondie can't handle the truth? He just proved to everyone that he's a fucking gold digger by getting back together with that faggot! Otherwise how could he have gotten that spot on fashion week?!" Martin shouted and Niall who was standing behind Louis, gripped the older man's arm to prevent him from going up to the pap to punch him. "He's talent-less and always has to play the victim to get people talking about him."

"Who the fuck do you think you are?! He's worked hard to get where he is unlike you you piece of shit!"

"Louis," Niall pleaded, trying to get his older friend to back down by tugging on his arm, but Louis only got angrier by the insults the guy was now throwing at him, Niall, the rest of the band and their fans.

"Well how about this for an exclusive?!" Louis shouts before he turned around, cupped Niall's face in his hands and began to make out with the blonde whose eyes widened a bit before they closed and kissed back as Louis showed his middle finger at the paps who were now going crazy with the pictures. Niall pulled away from Louis who gave him a dopey grin and a quick wink before turning back to the paps. "How's that? There's another gay boyband member for ya!"

And with that, Louis grabbed Niall's hand and took him inside quickly.

"This was such a mess. I'm sorry," Niall mumbled as he stared down at his feet, a tear rolling down his cheek that Louis quickly wiped away as he turned to face the blonde once they were safely inside.

"Hey, there's no need for you to apologize. Guys like him are fucking gross and seem to have no brain to work with," Louis said as he rubbed Niall's back gently. "I know he said some pretty awful things, but I don't want you to believe anything he said. You are so beautiful and so full of talent and every little thing you've accomplished, you deserve. He's just bitter because you make way more money than he does in a year."

Niall managed a weak smile but Louis knew that the guy had hit Niall where he's the weakest; his self-esteem.

"Come on, let's get you to Harry," Louis says softly as he wraps an arm around the blonde's shoulders and began to lead him back to their area.

"You guys were gone awhile," Harry says with a chuckle that quickly fades away when he sees Louis' angered expression and Niall's sad looking one with teary eyes and small tear tracks on his cheeks. "What happened?"

"Some fucking pap outside," Louis spat out and watched Niall go sit on Harry's lap and curl into his chest, Harry's arms wrapping around his boyfriend quickly.

"A pap?" Liam questioned Louis who sat by Zayn.

As Louis explained what happened, Niall closed his eyes to stop the tears from running down his cheeks, but he simply just hid his face into Harry's chest and tried to focus on his boyfriend's hand rubbing his back instead of replaying what happened over and over.

"Wanna go home, babe?" Harry asked into his ear, still rubbing the blonde's back and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

Niall nodded and sniffled, wiping his tears before standing up. Louis got up as well and walked over to hug Niall tightly.

"I'm sorry you had to come out that way," Niall tells him.

"Don't be, lad. I had my dramatic coming out, didn't I? Besides, you're my baby sunshine and I couldn't let that ass talk to you that way. Now, go home and get some rest and don't go online tomorrow, yeah? Leave the mess up to us. We'll always have your back," Louis tells him as he kisses Niall's cheek and gives him one final squeeze before pulling away.

"Thank you."

"Come on, bunny," Harry says as he grabs Niall's hand and laces their fingers together.

On their way out, Niall clung to Harry's side even though the paps were long gone. They get into their car without a problem and Harry begins the drive home.

"You alright?" Harry asked worriedly, not liking how quiet his boyfriend was being.

"Just- it's one thing to get messages like that on social media and it's another completely different to have a random stranger literally shout them at you. And I feel bad that Louis came out the way he did," Niall explains as he looks over at Harry who's gripping the steering wheel a bit tightly. Harry's beyond angry about what happened and he hates seeing his boy so sad.

"Don't feel bad about Lou, yeah? You didn't force him to do it and he's been wanting to come out for months now, it just happened in the least conventional way. I just wish you wouldn't have gone through that, but don't you dare listen to a word he said. That bastard clearly only had one motive in mind; to cause a scandal for money."

"Remember that one fake interview I supposedly did after the pictures of you and Jenner leaked where it said that I was depressed over our break up and shit?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Harry questioned curiously as he glanced at his boyfriend briefly.

"The guy from back then who interviewed me knew Corey, my ex, and he also happened to be the guy from tonight," Niall explained, gaze out the window and looking at the street lights that went by.

"What the hell is wrong with that guy? If I ever run into him I'll knock his teeth out."

Niall smiled at that and the two were soon at home where they got ready for bed and were now cuddled up under the blankets, Harry holding his boyfriend tightly and whispering loving words to the blonde.

"You know I'm glad you guys have always been my idols since day one. All four of you really mean the whole world to me, I made the right choice five years ago when I became your fan and now I'm thankful to have someone as amazing as you as my boyfriend," Niall mumbles sleepily as he looks up at Harry who's staring down at him with a loving gaze and a soft smile playing on his lips.

"And I'm thankful to have fallen in love with my biggest fan," Harry replies as he presses a gentle kiss to Niall's forehead. "Now sleep, my bunny."

Despite the night having ended in that disaster, Niall fell into a peaceful slumber with the love of his life holding him and pressing kisses until he was no longer conscious to feel them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for not updating last week but I ran out of chapters and I needed to get ahead, so I'm not sure if you'll get another update on Thursday, but fingers crossed that you do!!
> 
> Also I got asked if this would be an mpreg but to answer your question um I don't think so? Mainly because I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable and such, but if you guys would like I could make a third book for those of you who want an mpreg? Like obviously it'd be optional for those who don't want the mpreg and think 2 books is enough, but uh this is your pick guys :) no pressure tho
> 
> also I really don't like those two Irish singer/ rapper dudes on the X Factor this year and I'm still mad about Spencer leaving last week


	21. "chin up"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **harrystyles:** ...and I know things haven't been easy lately, but keep your chin up babe

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//December 14//

**'Louis Tomlinson comes out as gay during an altercation with a paparazzi while defending Niall Horan!'**

_'The 23 year old FOUR singer and 21 year old Irish model were just outside a nightclub in the heart of London late at night after FOUR's X-Factor performance when they were caught by paps having a smoke break. The problem started when the two were making their way towards the entrance when a pap began to verbally attack Niall Horan. A witness at the scene said, "Louis looked beyond angry when the pap began to say rude things towards his friend. It didn't take him long to jump in and argue with the pap." Tomlinson who broke things off with Eleanor Calder two years ago, has been completely single and announced he was 'another gay boyband member' as a last resort to shut the pap up and even kissed his bandmate's boyfriend..._

*

TRENDING

#WeLoveYouNiall  
#WeSupportYouLouis  
#BeStrongNouis

 **Liam Payne @LiamPayne:** A real shame how nasty some paps can be

*

[picture of Louis and Niall's kiss with Louis' middle finger facing the cameras]

1,718 likes

 **4BandUpdates:** This is no time to be saying that Larry is real, honestly. That pap was way out of line with what he was shouting at Niall and then at the boys. Niall was visibly upset. All Louis did was defend his friends and himself and decided to come out in that moment to shut the guy up. I honestly have gained a lot more respect for Louis for doing what he did last night because that guy was fucking disgusting.

View all 114 comments

 **LaurensCabello:** fucking hate paps. Poor Ni, he's such a sweetheart and he already gets enough hate from some people :(

 **ZiamMyDaddies:** I better not see one person say that guy was just doing his job. He crossed way too many lines and basically forced Louis to come out as a last resort to get the attention away from Niall.

*

[picture of Niall playing the piano]

Liked by shawnmendes, nickgrimshaw and 1,383,822 others

 **harrystyles:** I'm never going to get tired of expressing how proud I am of you and how far you've gotten. I know you put in a lot of hard work and I know things haven't been easy lately, but keep your chin up babe, I love you xx

_Comments have been disabled_

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall was supposed to be heading to his only class of the day, but instead he was at home cuddling into Harry. He'd had a very rough night and had managed to fall asleep at six am only to wake up two hours later and give up on getting some rest. Last night's events were still running through his head and he'd also managed to stay away from social media. Mainly because Harry took his phone and laptop away and wouldn't let him switch on to any gossip shows on TV.

"Sometimes I can't get over how pretty you are," Harry suddenly says, his arms wrapped tightly around his boyfriend and gaze on the movie they'd been watching. There was a thick blanket draped over them, keeping them warm in their chilly house despite the heater being on.

"And sometimes I can't get over how cheesy you are," Niall replies, not taking his eyes off of the movie.

"Rude, I'm just trying to compliment you."

"Compliment me when I'm not trying to watch my favorite movie."

"Babe, we've been watching Harry Potter all day, can't we watch something else?"

"Are you trying to make me feel worse?"

"Well no, but-"

"Then let me be. I've had a very shitty month between nasty photographers, shitty classmates and a fucking nightmare with that douche bag from last night," Niall said as he looked at Harry who was pouting but quickly pressed a kiss to the blonde's forehead.

"I'm sorry love," Harry mumbled into Niall's skin, tightening his hold on the blonde just a bit.

The two settled on the couch a bit better, but their peace didn't last for much longer since the doorbell went off and they both groaned, not wanting to leave their little nest. Niall was the one to get up though, since he'd been on top of Harry and he sighed before heading towards the front door. He wasn't really surprised when he found the other three boys standing outside bundled up to keep them warm from the cold air. Niall simply smiled at them and let them inside the house, watching as they removed their coats, hats, scarves and shoes.

"How are you?" Louis asked as he hugged the blonde tightly, burying his face into the crook of Niall's neck.

"I've been good. Harry's done a good job at keeping me distracted," Niall replies as he hugs Louis back just as tight, eyes closed and breathing in Louis' scent.

Louis nodded and moved away to let the other two greet the blonde before they followed him into the living room. Harry was sitting up now and had changed the channel which caused Niall to whine.

"Harry," Niall complained childishly.

"Babe," Harry whined back with a smirk and the others snickered as they sat around on the couches. "How's everything, lads?"

"Well so far it's still a trending topic on Twitter after a little over twelve hours. There's been a lot of support from both fans and other celebrities and such so luckily the one receiving all the backlash is that asshole," Zayn explained, his hand resting on Louis' thigh and a proud smile on his face.

"And about Louis coming out? Did the people believe that?"

"Not sure, but I did a statement anyways which defeated the purpose of having a dramatic coming out," Louis joked with a pout and Niall chuckled as he cuddled into Harry under the blanket. "I feel a lot lighter though now that I came out. I don't have to hide a part of me anymore."

"At least one good thing came out of all this mess," Niall said as he pulled his feet up on the couch.

Harry rubbed Niall's back softly and pressed a kiss to his head. They quickly changed topics after that and Niall was thankful since he really didn't want to keep talking about the awful time Martin provoked.

"Where's Trixie?" Louis asked, noticing the lack of the energetic dog.

"Gemma took her yesterday and I asked her if she could keep her for today," Harry replies and the others nodded understanding.

"Where are you guys spending the holidays?" Liam asks the couple with a smile on his face, ignoring Zayn and Louis who were being annoying.

"With the Horan and Mendes family in Ireland since my mom and stepdad are going on a cruise or something and Gemma wants to spend the holidays with her boyfriend."

"He gets to meet my second set of parents for the first time," Niall informed the others who began to tease Harry.

//December 16//

Niall and Harry are walking down the shopping streets holding hands and thankful that no fans have walked up to them. They're doing last minute Christmas shopping when the blonde sees Bressie and who Niall guesses is his girlfriend. Niall really hopes that Bressie won't see them or anything because the two haven't talked since that day at the club when Bressie rescued him from Corey. Of course luck is never on his side and he forces a smile on his face when Bressie walks over to them with a large grin.

"Fancy running into you here, chief," Bressie says in a friendly tone and the smile still on his face and Harry tightens his grip on Niall's gloved hand just a bit.

"Yeah. Um Haz, that's Bressie," Niall introduced them a bit awkwardly.

"It's nice to meet you," Harry said to what strangers would be a very friendly voice, but Niall knew him enough to know that that wasn't his actual friendly voice. Instead it was laced with jealousy and a bit of anger.

"It's nice to meet you as well and see that you two are together again. This is my girlfriend Emily."

"Hi," Niall greeted her and she smiled and shook their hands. "We're gonna get going so we can finish up. It was nice running into you though."

"Same and I hope we can all hang out sometime soon," Bressie replies with a smile.

Niall and Harry began to walk off and Harry mumbled a "hell no" under his breath that made Niall giggle.

"Stop being so jealous. You nearly ripped Adam's head off this morning at school," Niall teases his boyfriend who huffs, a pout now on his face that only makes Niall laugh harder and gain the attention of nearby people.

"But you almost had a thing with that giant and he hurt you in the end," Harry defends himself as he looks over at Niall, swinging their hands together.

"I know, bear, but it wouldn't be nice to be rude or cause a scene. Besides, I'm with you now and that stuff doesn't matter to me."

"I hate it when you're right."

"Don't be such a Grinch, it's almost Christmas!"

Harry chuckled and lead Niall inside a big brand store.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//December 20//

[picture of Niall and Harry at the airport]

1,829 likes

 **NarryUpdates:** Niall and Harry this morning at Heathrow!!

View all 152 comments

 **ZiamMyDaddies:** I'm just so happy knowing that things are so much better than last year. They really deserve to be happy

 **HoranxStyles:** hope they have a happy holiday :)

*

[Snapchat video of Niall and Harry with the flower crown filter; Niall: "Hey babe?" Harry: "Yeah?" Niall: "Love you." Harry: (smiling) "Love you more!"]

3,728 views

from Niall's snapchat this morning! They're so cute!!

View all 62 comments

 **Anna_Storan:** they look so happy and so in love

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall and Harry land in Ireland sometime during the lunch rush hour. The airport is busy and it takes the couple awhile to get their bags and get out of the building. Once outside, it's snowing lightly and really cold. Niall shivers in his coat as Harry loads their bags in the back of a taxi. They hadn't told anyone they'd be arriving today since they wanted to surprise Niall's family, the blonde having told them they'd arrive the next day.

"Babe, get in the car," Harry told the blonde with a slight chuckle as he watched his boyfriend hop around. "What are you waiting around for?"

"You," Niall told him with a grin, cheeks red from the harsh wind slapping his face and arms crossed against his chest.

"You're silly, but get inside before you get sick before Christmas."

Niall pouted but climbed in the backseat just as the driver closed the trunk and Harry joined the blonde a minute later. Niall gave the driver his address and settled back with Harry, relaxing as he watched buildings and cars go by.

The driver stops in front of Bobby's house and Niall sighs in relief when he sees his da's car parked in the drive. The two get out of the car with the driver who helps them get their things out.

"Thank you," Harry tells the driver with a smile as he pays him a little extra more than what it was and telling him to keep the change. "And happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas to you guys as well!" The driver said happily as he got in his car and drove off.

Niall meanwhile had grabbed his two bags and was waiting for Harry up on the porch, shivering and complaining in his head about his boyfriend being too slow.

"Shut it," Harry told the blonde who opened his mouth in shock.

"I didn't even say anything!" Niall exclaimed as he rang the doorbell, staring up at Harry who stuck his tongue out at the blonde.

"But you were thinking it. I know you."

Before Niall could argue back, the door opened to reveal a confused Bobby Horan before he smiled wide and hugged both his sons.

"Boys! You should have told me you were flying in today!" Bobby greeted them, letting them inside his house and Niall sighed as the warmth engulfed him in a nice hug.

"We wanted to surprise you all," Harry informs Bobby as he removes his shoes along with Niall.

"Well this certainly is a lovely surprise. Come in boys and go make yourselves at home."

"Same room as last time?" Niall asked his father who nodded and the couple headed upstairs.

"You know what we should do?" Harry suddenly asked as he laid back on the bed while Niall unpacked his things.

"What?"

"Buy a house here."

"You want to buy a house here?" Niall asked in shock and he went over to Harry and got on the bed, straddling the taller lad who immediately placed his hands on the blonde's hips.

"Well yeah. Would be nice you know, to come spend some time up here and get away from our busy lives. And well when we have kids we could come up here so they can spend time with their Irish family. Besides, I know you get homesick from time to time and I want you to be happy," Harry explained as he began to rub Niall's sides and giving his hips soft squeezes every now and then. "What do you say?"

"I'd love that and thank you," Niall tells him softly, a large smile on his face. "Sometimes you probably don't realize how happy you make me. Like, even if we're mad at each other, you still make me happy and you make it hard for me to be mad at you for long."

Harry smiled softly as he stared up at his boyfriend lovingly, reaching a hand up to brush his fingers across Niall's cheekbone.

"And I can't thank you enough for giving me another chance. You are the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with," Harry tells him just as soft, keeping the conversation between them and no one else as they got lost in each other's eyes.

*

Niall and Harry were downstairs helping Bobby with dinner when the doorbell went off. Niall went out to open the door, hearing Bobby and Harry's laughter flow out from the kitchen and the blonde smiled wide when he saw his mom, stepdad, brother, sister in law and nephew.

"Oh Niall darling!" Maura cried as she embraced her son tightly.

"Hi ma," Niall greeted her with a small chuckle.

"We thought you boys were flying in tomorrow."

"Yeah, we wanted to surprise you guys so we gave you the wrong day," Niall explains as he finishes greeting everyone, Theo now in his arms. "Guess who's in the kitchen with grandpa?"

"Hello!" Harry greeted his boyfriend's family as he walked out of the kitchen with a large smile and Theo gasped excitedly, wiggling in his uncle's arms until he was on the ground.

They all watched with smiles on their faces as Theo ran up to Harry shouting, "Uncle Harry!" who picked up the little boy just as excited.

"Come in everyone! Dinner's almost ready," Bobby said as he too walked out of the kitchen and ushered the family into the living room.

"How's the break treating ya?" Greg asked Harry who was sitting next to Niall, Theo now playing on the floor with a puzzle.

"It feels great so far, though I'm itching to get back to work on something. It's been five years of constant moving with little to no breaks in between and I guess I'm just wired to always be working," Harry said as he looked over at Greg who nodded in understanding.

"Must be hard."

"Tell me about it," Niall replied with a scoff and slight roll of his eyes.

"Hey," Harry pouted, pinching his boyfriend's side playfully.

"I'm sorry, love, but I really do hate waking up at three in the morning only to see you writing in your journal."

Maura and Denise both smiled fondly at the bickering couple before Bobby called them all back saying that the food was ready. Theo asked to sit in between Niall and Harry, so the little boy got his wish and ate his food happily between his two uncles. Bobby, Niall, Greg and Chris all drank beer while Harry and the two women drank wine.

The rest of the evening went by fast, Theo eventually falling asleep on Harry's lap sometime after ten. Greg and Denise were the first ones to leave shortly after, and an hour later, Maura and her husband left leaving behind Bobby, Niall and Harry who continued talking and drinking well until one in the morning.

"You boys should go rest. You've had a long day," Bobby told them, speech slightly slurred from the beers and a soft smile on his face as he watched the way Harry looked after his son who was practically asleep on him.

"Yeah, thanks for the meal and letting us stay here," Harry tells his father in law as he stands up, helping Niall up and wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist.

"Nonsense, lad. No need to thank me. You're another son to me and I'm more than happy to have you boys here."

Harry nodded and began to take Niall upstairs.

//December 22//

"I'm nervous," Harry mumbles into Niall's neck, tightening his hold on Niall's waist.

"Why?" Niall asked with a slight chuckle, playing with Harry's long hair. "You're just meeting Shawn's family."

"Exactly! I've heard you call his parents mom and dad so this is like I'm meeting the in laws all over again!"

"Aww, you're so cute."

They're at Maura's place waiting for Shawn and his family to arrive. Maura and Denise were in the kitchen busy getting the final touches done to the food while Greg, Chris and Bobby were watching a match on the TV while Niall and Harry sat on a couch in the sunroom just watching the snow fall.

The doorbell goes off and Niall grins as he attempts to sit up, but Harry holds him down. Niall laughs and untangles himself from his boyfriend who pouts up at him.

"Come on you big baby," Niall tells him as he starts pulling at Harry's arms.

Harry stands up just as they hear Maura greeting their guests. Niall stands up on his toes and presses a kiss to Harry's lips.

"It'll be fine, yeah?" Niall reassures him with a smile and Harry nods before he laces his fingers with Niall's and lets him lead them out of the room and over to where the Horan and Mendes family mix in the foyer.

"Niall!" Aaliyah, Shawn's sister, greets happily as she runs over to hug the blonde who laughs and hugs her tight, letting go of Harry's hand in the process.

"Hi love, I've missed you," Niall tells her and she pulls away to smile at him before her eyes land on Harry.

"Hi, I'm Aaliyah and if you hurt Niall again I'll-"

"Aailyah!" Karen Mendes scolded her daughter who huffed but kept her glare on Harry who didn't know whether to be amused or scared that a girl nearly ten years younger than him could intimidate him like that. "I'm sorry about that, boys."

"It's no problem," Niall reassures her as he hugs Shawn's mother and then greets his father.

"And you must be Harry. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Karen greets Harry who nods with a smile as he shakes her hand.

"Pleasure's all mine, Mrs Mendes," Harry told her.

"Oh honey, call me Karen."

Dinner was being served later and they all sat around on the table, loud chatter filling the dinning room. It'd been awhile since the two families had gotten together for the holidays and Niall had really missed this. He had Harry by his side, best friend and his whole family. He couldn't wait until he had a family of his own.

"I told you you had nothing to worry about," Niall tells Harry as they climb under the covers of their bed in Bobby's guest room later that night.

"I know, but Aaliyah did scare me a bit," Harry admits as he sways turns on his side to stare at his boyfriend, the bedside table lamp casting a soft glow around the room. He lifts an arm and drapes it across Niall's waist, pulling him in closer.

"She's only bluffing babe. She could never hurt a fly, trust me," Niall reassured him, moving his left hand to cup Harry's cheek and rub his cheekbone.

"Well she looked pretty convincing to me."

Niall rolled his eyes and broke away from Harry's hold, turning around so his back was to Harry.

"You're nuts," Niall tells him, reaching over to turn off the lamp and pull the blankets up.

"And you're cute," Harry replied as he moved closer to the blonde and spooned him.

"Thought you didn't like being a big spoon?"

"I'll make an exception. Only for you though."

"Well I would hope so."

Harry sighed and tightened his hold on the blonde as he closed his eyes. Niall smiled softly and let out a content sigh before he too closed his eyes ready to rest after a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I am nice and in a very good mood (also because you guys surprised me by being so for it) there will be a third book. Like I said, it will be optional so if you feel uncomfortable with the mpreg thing than chapter twenty five of this book will be it for you :)
> 
> after much planning, arranging and rewriting my notes, I'm ending this book on chapter twenty five (I really hope so because I would hate to end it on an odd number, yikes) because there is no point in dragging it on since originally I didn't have planned writing a third book, so happy reading !!


	22. "it's ugly"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You guys are so cute it's ugly now," Gemma comments and they all laugh.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//December 24//

[picture of Niall and Louis hugging]

Liked by ddlovato, louist91 and 301,387 others

 **niallhoran:** Happy birthday to Tommo, one of my best friends and my favorite member of FOUR !!

View all 10,859 comments

 **louist91:** aww, thanks Neil! I always knew I was your favorite ;)

 **NarryFeels:** aww haha! Don't think harry will like that last part

 **harrystyles:** ouch, imma need some ice for that burn babe :(

*

//December 25//

[picture of Niall, Aaliyah, Harry and Shawn]

Liked by niallhoran, shawnmendes and 115,382 others

 **aaliyahmende.s:** Was glad to be able to spend the holidays with all my brothers!! Don't know where Greg was, but I love him just as much as these idiots !!!

View all 7,197 comments

 **MendesMyLove:** aww!! She called Harry her brother, this is so cute

 **Shiall.Updates:** Merry Christmas to you and your family!

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//January 11//

They're back home now after some much needed time off. Niall started school again after the holidays and Harry stays at home with Trixie, getting into contact with Mitch, his real estate agent so they can find a new house.

"Babe, Mitch emailed me a new list to check out!" Harry called from his office.

"Coming!" Niall called back from the kitchen as he finished pouring food on Trixie's bowl. "Eat up my precious!"

Niall left the kitchen and headed down the hall towards Harry's office. Harry looked up from his laptop when the blonde walked in and smiled at him, patting his lap for Niall who went over and settled on his lap. Niall pecked Harry's lips lightly and the curly haired lad smiled wide.

"So what did Mitch send us?" Niall questioned as he turned to face the laptop screen showing Harry's email opened and a bunch of links.

"Well he said that he found a few good ones with our descriptions a bit out of London in a more private area," Harry explained as he clicked on the first link, his left arm wrapped around Niall's waist and his chin resting on the blonde's shoulder.

The first house was pretty expensive, but Niall knew he wouldn't be able to talk Harry out of spending too much knowing they're both asking for a lot of specific things in their new home. That and Harry would argue that he could pay for that and more and Niall wasn't ready to hear about how much Harry has made with the band alone.

"Eight bedrooms? Harold, that's too much," Niall tells his boyfriend who shrugs.

"Well yeah, but think about it. We want at least four kids and your family could stay with us when they come to visit. And besides, it's got a large garden perfect for family events and for Trixie our little mini mes to run around in and have fun. And Mitch says that this one's pretty private in a great neighborhood and the pictures of the place look pretty great. And there's a great school in the area for the kids."

"I know, but can we just see the others before we decide? I mean, I really do like this one."

Harry placed a kiss to Niall's shoulder in response and went to the next house.

"Four bedrooms, five bathrooms- No. Definitely not this one. Look at that tiny ass kitchen!" Niall exclaimed with a huff and Harry chuckled.

"Not like you cook anyways," Harry teased his boyfriend.

"I do too. I lived completely on my own for like seven months, who the fuck fed me then? A ghost?"

Harry groaned and rolled his eyes, but pressed more kisses to Niall's neck as he exited out of that house and clicked on the third one. It looked fairly new, the exterior of the two story house being done in neutral tones and a modern design. There was a garage and had large windows in the first floor for a lot of natural light.

"Eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms with a two car garage, up to date appliances and large spacious yard with a completely done deck for entertainment purposes and there's a built in grill," Harry read out loud quite impressed with the house.

"Hmm, this is going to be hard."

"There's no pressure though, babe. Mitch said we can schedule meetings to look at all the houses we like and after the tour we can decide if we want to keep seeing more or wait a bit longer for something better."

"I know, it's just. I want this house to be perfect! I mean, it is going to be the place where we raise our kids and spend the rest of our lives in," Niall told Harry as he turned to look at his boyfriend.

"Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Absolutely."

//January 15//

It was any other day for Niall. Well at least that's what he thought, but when he got home from school sometime after one in the afternoon, he found Harry standing at the door with a bouquet of yellow and orange roses which confused Niall quite a bit.

"Um hi?" Niall's greeting sounding more like a question as he set his backpack down on the floor and walked up to his boyfriend.

"Happy friend-aversary!" Harry shouts as he hands the roses to Niall whose eyes widen in surprise. "On this day three years ago we met for the very first time and since then you've become one of my best friends and favorite person to tell all my secrets to. I am very thankful of you, I really am. Um I know we had it quite rough last year, but even though you were very mad at me and miles away, I never once stopped calling you my best friend. You're everything to me and I'm really happy to be in love with my best friend."

"Aww, Haz," Niall choked out, eyes filling up with tears as he takes the roses and goes up to hug Harry tightly. "You're so sweet. I love you so much, bestie."

Harry grins as he hugs the blonde tighter and then pulls away to kiss him softly, cupping Niall's left cheek and wiping away his tears when he felt them hit his thumb. They pull away and Niall sniffles before he chuckles.

"Can't believe it's been three years since I sent you that picture of my ass," Niall says, keeping an arm around Harry's waist.

"And three years later it's still in my phone," Harry tells him with a smirk that makes Niall blush.

*

[picture of the roses Harry gave him]

Liked by camila_cabello, Oli_Brookes, mileycyrus and 392,287 others

 **niallhoran:** Three years ago today I met my best friend and the love of my life. Happy friend-aversary to my bear!

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 **camila_cabello:** awww!! my dads are so cute, I just can't deal with this

 **Narryislove:** wow, it's been 3 years !!

//January 25//

"I feel like dancin' tonight!" Niall sang as he moved around the kitchen getting dinner ready for when Harry got home from a work meeting. "I'm gonna party like it's my civil right."

He was so busy singing along to the music playing from his phone that was hooked up to some speakers in the kitchen that he didn't hear the front door open or Harry call out to him.

"It doesn't matter where, I don't care if people stare 'cause I feel like dancin' tonight!"

"What a lovely sight," Harry said with a smirk on his face and putting his phone away. Niall screamed and nearly tripped on his own two feet as he turned around to face Harry.

"Fucking asshole, you're going to kill me one day," Niall scolded him, a hand over his heart and going over to his phone to lower the volume. "How'd it go?"

"It went great. We're closing the deal next week and they said they would give me full control over what I want to make on my album," Harry explained as he walked over to Niall and wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist.

"That's great, bear! I'm really excited for you," Niall tells him with a smile on his face as he stares up into Harry's eyes. "And the other thing?"

"Still working out a few details, but that's almost a for sure thing."

Niall kisses Harry softly before going back to his food. They've just finished making dinner when Trixie starts barking and the doorbell goes off. Niall and Harry share a look before Harry goes off to open the door.

"Hiya, Harold!" Louis greets loudly as he enters the house, hanging up his coat and taking his shoes off. "Smells good."

"Want to join us for dinner?" Niall asks with a smirk as Louis enters the kitchen.

"Would love too, haven't seen you guys since last year."

"Where's your man?" Harry asks as he enters the kitchen and grabs plates from the cupboard.

"In LA working on his album. Think he said that they want to release the first single in March," Louis explained as he grabbed the eating utensils as Niall placed food on the plates.

"That's awesome! And you? What have you been up to?" Niall asked Louis as he carried his plate over to the table.

"Been with my family mostly, but might head to LA by next month. And you guys? What are you up to? Anything exciting happen? Like get hitched in Vegas. Any babies on the way?"

"No," Niall tells him with a laugh.

"Niall keeps saying no," Harry says with a pout and Louis' eyes widen slightly at that. Whether Harry meant it as a joke or not, there seemed to be some truth behind it.

"Whatever. I've been busy with school and uh Julian's helping me out with some details on my project which I would have finished had I not spent all summer following you guys," Niall said as he sat at the table with the other two.

"I don't want to say much, but I'm writing songs," Harry informs Louis who looks over at him proudly.

"That's a lad."

//January 30//

The days leading up to Harry's birthday found the couple going off with Mitch to view their two potential house without the knowledge of their friends and family. They wanted to keep this a secret for now. They didn't want them to put in their two cents about this idea of the couple starting their forever not even a year after getting back together. They knew their moms would tell them to think about it, that they were moving too fast. Again. Niall and Harry knew what they were doing though. This is what they wanted and they didn't want anyone else to fill their heads with doubt.

And now as they walked through the second floor of a house, both Niall and Harry could see it. Their kids running around, dogs barking and everything making it feel like home.

"And?" Mitch asked at the end of the tour as they gathered in the spacious kitchen.

Niall and Harry looked at each other with smiles and they both nodded.

"This is it," Harry replied to Mitch's question.

"You've made a great choice boys. I'll go get the paperwork that's in my car," Mitch told them and left the house momentarily as Niall continued to look around the kitchen in awe. This would be his new home. His new home with his best friend.

"What are you thinking of, love?" Harry asks as he watches the boy with fond eyes.

"I just can't wait until we can officially move in, until we can fill this house with our kids," Niall says as he looks over at Harry who chuckles at Niall's excited expression.

"I can't wait either."

Neither say anything else as Mitch walks over to them with a folder in his hands. Niall and Harry went back over to the counter as Mitch began to take the papers out and placed x's on where they needed to sign.

"Alright boys, sign here, here and here," Mitch explained. "Initials here and I'll need your name printed on these lines with the date."

Harry and Niall both nodded and began to sign where it was instructed. Niall tried not to giggle as Harry pressed a small kiss to his shoulder as he bent down a bit to sign the papers.

"Alright boys, I will call you in no more than three weeks and then the house will be yours if they accept your offer."

"Thank you, Mitch," Harry said as he shook the man's hand with a smile.

"No problem, boys!"

The three walked out of the house and Niall and Harry sat in their car staring up at their future house.

"I really can't wait," Niall says softly just before Harry begins to back out of the driveway to drive to their current home.

Later at home Niall's sitting at the kitchen table doing homework while Harry cooks them dinner with the radio playing, Trixie drinking water from her bowl. Niall's humming along as he takes notes from his textbook and then lets out a long tired sigh.

"Can I drop out?" Niall suddenly asks and Harry laughs as he turns the music down.

"No you can't babe. You're literally four months and days from graduating, besides I'm sure you'll regret it come June," Harry says as he walks over to his boyfriend and leans down to kiss his forehead. "I know it's hard sometimes, but you'll make it."

"Then how about you go to school for me and I'll go to your meetings?" Niall asked as he looked up at Harry with a slight pout and Harry laughed again before pressing his lips against the blonde's this time.

"How about no. I never liked school."

Niall huffed and went back to his homework as Harry went back to his cooking.

"Can we cuddle and watch a movie later?" Niall asked his boyfriend as the two sat at the table eating their dinner.

"Anything for my precious little snow bunny," Harry coos as he pinches Niall's cheek and laughs when the blonde slaps his hand away.

"Your mom called and said she's excited to have us visit."

"I can't wait to go either. Spend my birthday with my family and the love of my life," Harry says as he leans over to kiss Niall's cheek, making the blonde blush.

"You're so sweet."

After dinner, Niall helped his boyfriend clean up before they went over to the couch to cuddle on it. Trixie walked over to them and curled up in front of the TV as Harry clicked on Netflix. Niall laid down so his back was pressed against the back of the couch and curled up into Harry's side. Harry had an arm around Niall, his fingers buried in the messy blonde hair as he flipped through the titles with his other hand.

"What are you in the mood for?" Harry asks his boyfriend.

"Not sure. Oh! Can we watch Moana?" Niall asked as he shifted his head to look up at his boyfriend who smiled and nodded.

"Love this one."

The two settled as the movie loaded and Niall eventually placed a blanket over them.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//February 1//

[a selfie of Niall and Harry in bed]

Liked by shawnmendes, louist91, Aria_Martin and 518,286 others

 **niallhoran:** My boyfriend's getting old. Happiest of birthdays to my best friend!!

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 **NaomiStylinson:** haha! Happy birthday H!!

 **harrystyles:** xx

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall woke up first on the morning of Harry's birthday, the two laying in bed in the guest room of Anne's house. Harry was asleep on his stomach with his hands under the pillow and facing away from Niall. And even though things were okay and had been okay since they got back together with the occasional small argument, Niall couldn't help but let his mind wander to a year ago when Harry had spent his boyfriend with the woman he'd cheated on Niall with. It's amazing how different things can be in a year.

"Bunny," Harry mumbled tiredly as he turned to face Niall, a lazily smile on his face that made Niall's heart melt as he smiled back down at his boyfriend.

"Morning bear," Niall says softly as he turns to look at Harry. "Happy birthday, bestie."

"Thank you, best friend." Harry smiled wide and wrapped his arms around the blonde, pulling him closer. "Can I have an early present?"

Niall giggled as Harry began to kiss down his neck and bite down gently on his collarbone.

"We're at your mom's place, have some respect, mate," Niall scolded his boyfriend playfully.

"Oh please, it certainly wouldn't be the first time. Remember the last time we came over, mom was out with my stepdad and Gemma and we thought we had enough time," Harry began as he pulled back from marking Niall's neck.

"We agreed to never speak of that again, mate," Niall groaned, face flushed red with embarrassment.

"A quickie? In the shower?" Harry begged with a pout on his face. "It's my birthday and it's the least I deserve since you've been depriving me of sex for weeks now."

"Well sorry I'm giving you blue balls," Niall scoffed. "Fine. Shower and we'll have to be quiet."

Harry grinned and got out of bed, picking up Niall and carrying the blonde towards the bathroom connected to their room.

*

The couple walked downstairs laughing about something and entered the kitchen where Anne, Gemma and Harry's stepdad were waiting for them.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" They all shouted.

"Thank you!" Harry told them with a large smile, holding Niall's hand tightly.

"Now come eat breakfast boys. We've got a lovely day ahead of us," Anne says as she moves around the kitchen, placing blueberry pancakes on plates while Gemma poured coffee for her and her stepdad while Harry grabbed some juice for him and Niall.

"Have a nice morning, Harry?" Gemma asked her little brother with a knowing smirk that made Niall blush and stare down at his pancakes.

"I always have a lovely morning waking up next to this sunshine," Harry replies smoothly as he leans over to kiss Niall's cheek.

"How cute," Anne gushed with a large smile.

"You guys are so cute it's ugly now," Gemma comments and they all laugh.

After breakfast, Niall and Gemma helped Anne clean the kitchen while Harry went out with his stepdad.

"So when are you two having babies?" Gemma asks Niall who turns bright red while Anne glares at her daughter and their stepdad chuckles and shakes his head.

"Um we're not sure? I mean, I'd like to finish school first," Niall explained a little nervously. Harry and him haven't touched that subject in awhile, mainly because Harry would be having a busy year with his movie and working on his solo album. "We'll just let things happen."

"Don't worry, sweetie, there's no pressure," Anne reassured him.

Awhile later they've got the main entertainment areas decked out in balloons, streamers, banners and other birthday decorations. Harry's stepdad had taking him out on the excuse that they needed a little bonding time.

"Oi oi!" Came Louis' voice from the doorway as he stepped inside the house with a large birthday cake in hands and with Zayn following bringing in drinks.

"Oh boys, come in!" Anne greeted them with a large smile.

"Lovely to see you, Anne," Louis greets her with a more friendly smile and kisses her cheek in greeting before moving over towards the kitchen to drop the cake off. "Neil, my favorite half of Narry!"

"Um thanks?" Niall frowned before he walked over to hug the older lad. "Missed you."

"I've missed ya too, lad. Harold's still out?" Louis asks as he pulls away from the blonde who nods.

Zayn walked in and smiled at Niall before pulling him into a hug as well. Soon the rest of Harry's family and Liam and Sophia arrive for Harry's surprise party. Anne's husband had texted saying that they were on their way and Niall kept a look out by the window.

"They're coming!" Niall called as he moved away from the window as the car parked in the driveway.

Niall stood between Anne and Gemma with a large smile on his face as the front door began to open and Harry stepped inside first.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted and Harry looked around the room with wide eyes and very surprised. "Happy birthday!"

Niall stepped forward first and Harry laughed as he looked at his boyfriend before pulling him into his arms and holding him tightly.

"Happy birthday, bear," Niall says into his ear.

"What a lovely surprise, bunny," Harry whispers back. "No wonder you wanted to get rid of me so quickly this morning."

Niall laughed and pulled away to let the rest of Harry's family and friends congratulate him.

"Can't believe you boys are here," Harry says as he hugs the rest of his bandmates tightly and then Sophia a bit more gently and she kisses his cheek in greeting.

"Oi, I couldn't miss having free food and booze," Louis jokes as he claps Harry on the back and Harry rolled his eyes though there was a smile on his face.

Harry keeps Niall glued to his side almost all evening, introducing him to the other half of his family that he hadn't met yet. The blonde was happy to stay by his man's side, talking and laughing with the guests and telling embarrassing stories of his boyfriend.

"Babe, it's my birthday, stop being so rude," Harry whined, burying his red face into Niall's neck and causing Harry's aunt and cousin to laugh before they walk off.

"This is called payback for what happened at Christmas with my family," Niall explains as he rubs his boyfriend's back.

"Jerk."

"I love you too." Niall laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I've said and I'll repeat it until the end of time, the third book will be OPTIONAL so if you're not comfortable with the mpreg thing then don't read it. I've made up my mind, I gave you guys the option and all of you said yes (well the ones who voted anyways. not my fault some of y'all didn't say anything) So until that happens, just enjoy the final chapters of this second book
> 
> I'm writing a new narry story called Dear Harry and I did like ten chapters in one day. It's just a story about Niall writing a bunch of letters to Harry and so far it's kinda sad and I don't know if it'll be a happy story, but I'll have the first chapter posted if you guys are interested.


	23. "my heart"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **zayn:** ...Thank you for being the one who owns my heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Used  
> Perfect by Ed Sheeran (with some slight changes)

//February 4//

Niall's walking out of school when his phone starts going off with Harry's name on the screen. He smiles and quickly answers.

"Hello my love," Niall greets him as he continues to walk towards his car, careful not to step on any icy patches.

"Hi babe, how was school?" Harry asks on the other end.

"It was okay, I guess. Is there a reason for your call?"

"Yes there is. Mitch called and said he wants us to meet him at the house. Do you want me to wait for you or do you just want to take your car?"

"Uh I'll drive so we don't make him wait. I'll see you there then," Niall tells him as he waves at some of his classmates who greet him as they walk past him. "Love you."

"Love you more," Harry says and then the two hang up.

Niall heads towards the house, driving and singing along to the radio. Half an hour later Niall pulls up at the house where Harry and Mitch already are waiting, the front door open and waiting for Niall. The blonde grabs his phone from the passenger seat and gets out of his car before he quickly heads inside, knocking on the front door.

"Hello!" Niall greets the two who were in the kitchen standing by the island against.

"Hello Niall, hope I didn't pull you out of school or anything," Mitch tells him and Niall shakes his head.

"No, I was done for the day already," he explains as he goes over to stand by Harry who wraps an arm around his waist and kisses his temple. "Hi love."

"Hi," Harry says with a large grin. "So Mitch, what did you need to tell us?"

Mitch doesn't say anything, instead he smiles and grabs something out of his back pocket. He then places his hand on the island and pulls away, revealing a set of keys and a smile on his face.

"The house is all yours boys, congratulations," Mitch tells them.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" Niall tells Mitch excitedly who laughs at the blonde.

"We got the house, babe," Harry says in shock as he wraps his arms around the blonde tightly and Niall giggles as he hugs Harry back just as tight. "We can start our own family now."

Niall just nods, too excited to say more. This was another step into their forever and Niall couldn't wait to see what the next step would be.

Mitch leaves them shortly after handing them the paperwork and having them sign a few more things and once he's gone, Harry goes over to close the front door before going over to Niall who's now sitting on the island swinging his legs back and forth and it makes the curly haired lad coo. Niall follows Harry with his eyes until his boyfriend is standing between his legs with his large hands placed on the blonde's thighs.

"Our new home, bunny," Harry says softly as he places his forehead against the blonde's.

"Our new home," Niall echoes with a soft smile on his face as he closes his eyes as Harry's hands move up his thighs slowly and up to his hips.

"When do you want to start moving in?" Harry asks as he pulls back enough to stare into Niall's eyes.

"I'm ready whenever, but how about we start looking around first to take a better look at all the rooms and such."

"Sounds like a plan."

Harry picked Niall off the counter and set him on the ground before grabbing his hand and leading him towards the stairs. Niall walked up the white stairs holding onto the golden colored banister, a beautiful chandelier hanging above them as they headed towards the second floor. Niall wasn't sure what they'd do with the seven remaining rooms (he still thinks that having eight bedrooms is a bit too excessive, but they do want a big family so).

"How long do you think until we have our first kid?" Harry suddenly asked as he stared at the empty bedrooms until they reached the master bedroom which was a bit bigger than the one they have now.

"I mean, I don't know?" Niall answered his question with a question. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Harry turned to look at his boyfriend with a large smile as they entered their new room.

"How about as soon as we are settled in our new home?"

"I'll be ready for it."

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//February 14//

[picture of Louis and Zayn kissing]

Liked by niallhoran, gigihadid, lottietomlinson and 816,618 others

 **zayn:** I want to start off this Valentine's Day by saying how madly in love I am of this man. He's been my best friend for years and my partner in crime in many crazy adventures. He's the one who's been by my side the longest and I can't express my gratitude enough. Thank you for letting me love you, Tommo. Thank you for being the one who owns my heart.

View all 91,687 comments

 **louist91:** feeling's mutual, babes ;)

 **ZiamMyDaddies:** oh my gosh, but like, Ziam?? I'm happy for you guys tho but seriously

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

Niall and Harry were both busy at work with painting their room or working on little things that needed to be fixed in their new home. The days were long and busy, Niall going to school while Harry took Trixie to the new house so he could finish painting up the guest rooms and letting the dog keep him company.

They still hadn't told anyone about the house. They wanted to be settled in before telling their friends and family though Sandra knew and she also knew about their plans of starting a family.

"I just want you to be really sure," Sandra had told the blonde during a meeting two days ago.

"We're both sure. We've been taking about kids for weeks and now that we have our new home we just want to start on that. Look I know my career is still growing and I've got so much to accomplish still, but I can still do things and such. I'm not saying that I'm taking a break for who knows how long," Niall explained to her as he tore his gaze away from a picture of Andy, Sandra's baby.

"Look, I'm not saying it's a bad idea. It's just, I want you to be sure. Like I don't want you going along with it because Harry's the one who brings it up first all the time. Didn't you say he was going to have a busy year between filming his movie and album?"

"Well yeah but-"

"And before you met Harry you didn't even want kids."

"Okay and that was then, but I really do want kids. Like he knows I want to graduate first and we've still got to get the house sorted and even after that it can take a bit of time until you know," Niall told her and Sandra nodded.

"Alright. And as long as you're really sure about this, you'll both have our support. Now let's talk about your upcoming shoot in France. It's for Danger&Wilde's new line."

Niall nodded and set the date on the calendar app on his phone.

*

Niall woke up on Valentine's Day completely sprawled out on the bed and with Harry nowhere in sight. Sitting up and stretching, Niall let out a small yawn and turned to his nightstand to grab his glasses and smiled when he found a red rose with a pink post it note beside it. The blonde put on his glasses and grabbed the rose and the note. On the little piece of paper there was a drawn picture of a coffee cup with a cute smiley face and it read; _'I love you a latte'_ and Niall rolled his eyes at Harry's pun. Setting the rose and note back in the same spot, he went to his bathroom to shower, avoiding the stack of packed boxes near the bathroom door.

Niall takes a quick shower and brushes his teeth before heading back to the room where he finds Harry with a tray with breakfast for two. Harry smiled over at the blonde and Niall walked over to peck his lips.

"Happy Valentine's Day my love," Harry tells him.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Niall replies with a large smile.

"Now eat up before we can take these boxes to our new place."

The two sit on the bed eating the omelette Harry made.

"So did you like my note?" Harry asked and Niall nods with a large smile on his face.

"I loved it. You know I've always loved your cute little notes," Niall tells him as he feeds his boyfriend a piece of fruit.

"So I wanna ask you out on a date tonight. I know it's been awhile since we've gone on one and well we've been busy working on our new house so I figured we could use some alone time."

"I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Good. I'll drive you and pick you up from school, deal?"

"Sounds good. My last class is over at 4:15."

After breakfast, they load up Harry's Range Rover with the boxes and Niall grabs his school bag before they leave, Trixie sitting happily in the back seat as Niall turned up the radio for the drive ahead. They reach their new home in under forty minutes and Niall gets out, opening the back door for Trixie who barked excitedly and ran up the porch to stand in front of the door. Niall and Harry both laughed as they began to unload the boxes.

"Can you go open the door, babe?" Harry asked as he grabbed one of the heavier boxes that had books and some of their journals in it.

"Where are the keys?" Niall asked as he grabbed a box labeled living room.

"My back pocket."

"Cheeky bastard. You just want me to touch your ass."

"You caught me, love."

Niall chuckled and grabbed the keys from Harry's back pocket and then headed towards the door where Trixie looked up at him in excitement.

"You really love this house, don't ya girl?" Niall cooed at her and she barked in response as Niall opened the door and she ran inside.

Niall set the box he was holding and stretched. Harry walked in and set the boxes down next to Niall's.

"So where are you taking me tonight?" Niall asks his boyfriend in curiosity.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out. I will tell you though, that you'll need to dress nice," Harry tells him as he walks over to the blonde, brushing back his fringe.

"How nice? Like suit and tie nice or just fancy nice?"

"Just fancy nice, but the tie is optional."

"Looking forward to it then," Niall tells him softly as he kisses the corner of Harry's mouth.

*

Niall walks out of class ten minutes after it ends. His professor needed to have a word with him and it took longer than the blonde would have liked, so as he walks down the halls to find the exit, he checks his phone to find three texts from Harry asking where he was.

"I was getting worried," Harry says when Niall finally gets in the car.

"Sorry, got held back by my professor," Niall explains briefly, a tired look to his eyes that Harry doesn't like.

"Everything okay?"

"No. I'm failing said class because of a low grade I got on a song I turned in not long ago and if I can't bring that up well guess who can't graduate in three months," Niall tells him as he puts on his seatbelt. "It was my fault though. I ended up turning in the first version and the one that I was meant to turn in is sitting in my journal."

"What's gonna happen then? Like, is he letting you make up for it?"

"No because I turned it in on time and I didn't need an extension for being sick, but he said there'd be plenty of extra credit coming up within the next few days. I'll be fine though, but can you tell me where you're taking me?"

"Nope." Harry laughs.

Harry drives them home (not the new one since it wasn't ready yet) and then Niall headed off to get ready. At exactly six pm sharp, Harry was leading the blonde down to the car and opened the door for him.

"Harry, seriously!" Niall whined as he sat back as Harry drove.

"Be patient. We'll be there in a few minutes," Harry replied with a slight huff.

They pull up at a fancy restaurant but the thing that confuses Niall is the fact there are no cars. Harry opens the passenger door and helped the blonde out of the car.

"Um I think it's closed?" Niall told Harry who chuckled as he lead the blonde to the front door.

"Evening Mr Styles, your table is all set," the hostess, a guy maybe around their age with dark brown hair and a smile on his face says as he grabs two menus from his post.

"Thank you," Harry tells him, holding Niall's hand as they follow the guy towards a table away from windows and more towards the center.

There's a white tablecloth draped over the table with a candle in the middle. Harry pulls the chair out for the blonde and Niall sits down as the guy places the menus on the table.

"Your waiter will be out shortly."

Harry nods and sits across from the blonde with a smile.

"I had the place close down for us," Harry explains to the blonde who nods.

Dinner goes by smoothly. They have a three course meal with Harry's favorite wine and the people working that night are lovely and give them the privacy they want. There's soft music playing and Niall feels like he's in the Night Changes music video, except he's with Harry and not Zayn, but the idea is the same.

Harry looks at Niall like he's the most important person in the world. Pays attention to every word the blonde says and even feeds him from his dessert.

"You've really outdone yourself, Styles. This is definitely the best date you've ever taken me on," Niall says as he grabs his glass of wine and takes a sip.

"And the night's not over yet. I've still got something else. Remember a few days ago when I went to Ed's and I told you that we wrote something for his new album?" Harry asks the blonde who nods.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well we wrote a song that he's using for his album, but we wrote two versions and I want to sing it to you tonight."

Niall's eyebrows rose in surprise and a large grin stretched over his lips as Harry stood up from his seat and placed a quick kiss to his forehead. Their waiter walked over to them with an acoustic guitar and handed it to Harry who thanked him as he quickly placed the strap over his shoulder and strummed a few notes to make sure it was tuned. The blonde was surprised, he didn't know his boyfriend could play guitar. Taking a deep breath, Harry began to play the beginning notes of the song and cleared his throat.

 _"I found a love for me. Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead. Well I found a boy, beautiful and sweet. Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me,"_ Harry began, looking at Niall the whole time.

_"'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love. Not knowing what it was. I will not give you up this time. But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own. And in your eyes, you're holding mine._

_Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms. Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song. When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath. But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight._

_"Well I found a man, stronger than anyone I know. He shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share his home. I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets. To carry love, to carry children of our own."_

Niall was tearing up by this point as he watched the love of his life serenade him. He didn't even realize that a few of the workers were watching from afar with their waiter recording with Harry's phone. Niall wasn't sure how he ever got so lucky with the most amazing man.

 _"Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms. Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song. I have faith in what I see. Now I know I have met an angel in person. And he looks perfect. I don't deserve this. You look perfect tonight,"_ Harry finished off softly, never breaking eye contact with Niall who was now wiping away his tears.

The room got filled with clapping and soft sniffles from two young girls. Harry set his guitar down gently before sitting on the edge of his seat, his knees brushing against Niall's as he takes the blonde's shaky hands in his.

"Babe, you know you mean the whole entire universe to me. You're my soulmate and I honestly couldn't have picked a better person to fall in love with," Harry begins to say, giving Niall's hands a soft squeeze and the blonde nods in reply. "We've talked about how excited we are for the future ahead of us and even though months ago neither of us were sure about that, but now I know more than ever that I want you to be officially mine until our last day."

Niall couldn't help the small gasp that left his lips, eyes darting over to a girl who walked over with a large assortment of roses in all colors. Harry let go of Niall's hands to take the arrangement and thanked the girl who nodded and quickly headed off.

"Tonight, I want to ask you Niall James Horan, if you want to be my husband?" Harry asked as he grabbed something from one of the roses and opened his hand from the fist he'd formed around the object, showing off a shiny silver band a bit similar to his promise ring, but just as beautiful.

"Oh my gosh, yes. I'd love to be your husband," Niall replied as he tried to shake off the shock as quick as he could, tears still rolling down his cheeks and Harry grinned as he slid the ring on Niall's finger, letting it rest above the promise ring.

They both stood up and Harry pulled the blonde into a kiss, earning more clapping from their small audience and Niall chuckled slightly against Harry's lips. They pulled away after a few seconds and neither boy could stop smiling, their cheeks hurting but they were too happy to care. They were engaged now and Niall couldn't believe it. He was going to marry Harry Styles.

*

When they get home, neither can take their hands off of each other. Lips locked in a passionate kiss and Niall's legs wrapped around Harry's waist as the older lad carries him towards the bed in their room.

"I love you so fucking much, future Mr Styles," Harry mumbles against Niall's bottom lip, biting at it softly and earning a soft barely there moan from the blonde.

"I love you too, so so much. And thank you so much for tonight," Niall tells him as he pulls back, face flushed and lips swollen as he looks into Harry's lust filled eyes.

"Thank you for making me the happiest man alive."

Their lips find each other quickly, even in the dark of the room with only the moonlight painting the room in a silver light as Harry gently lays his fiancé on the bed.

"Make love to me," Niall pants as he cups Harry's face, craving the soft touch of Harry's hands all over his body. Craving the feeling of being connected with him in a more intimate way.

"With pleasure," Harry replies as he begins to unbutton Niall's dress shirt and leans down to softly kiss down his chest, making the blonde arch his back at the touch.

Harry took his time undressing them both. He took his time placing kisses all over Niall's skin. Every inch he could reach, his lips were there pressed together or marking the milky skin as his. Once he was satisfied, he reached over to the nightstand to open a drawer and pull the lube and condoms out, only receiving a slight shake of head from the blonde at the little square packet.

"You sure?" Harry asked in a worried tone.

"Perfectly sure," Niall replied softly yet with confidence and Harry grinned before going back to kissing and touching.

*

"So when do you think we should tell everyone we're engaged?" Harry asks later that night, holding a naked Niall under the sheets and watching him trace over his engagement ring with the tip of his index finger.

"Not sure about you, but I think they can wait. I mean, I don't want to steal Louis and Zayn's thunder. The internet's already pretty busy breaking over their Valentine's Day post," Niall answers as he shifts slightly in Harry's arms to look up at him.

"I like that idea. Keep my fiancé all to myself for now."

"Selfish, I tell ya."

"Only when it comes to you, bunny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* they're engaged
> 
> Also the AMAs last night, all those Shawn and Niall pictures give me major feels, especially the one where they're looking at each other that kind of reminds me of like 2011 Larry
> 
> Also sorry for not updating recently, but I've gotten pretty lazy *shrugs*


	24. "Mister Styles"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **harrystyles:** ...I can't wait until I can call you Mister Styles @niallhoran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving!! (well if you celebrate, if you don't then Happy Thursday!)

//February 17//

"So how does it feel now that the two of you are out?" Niall asks Louis through FaceTime as he's busy working on a presentation for one of his classes and Louis looks like he's busy being lazy with his TV on a football match.

"Honestly? Like I can fucking breath. Ever since I came out people have been asking if I had a boyfriend, asking me if Larry was actually real, or if I was interested in anyone and well I couldn't exactly say yes I am seeing someone and have been for nearly four years now. On and off for the first two but whatever," Louis says and Niall chuckles as he hits the backspace key on his laptop and rewrites a sentence.

"I thought that coming out wasn't something Zayn wanted to do. What changed his mind?" Niall ignored the whole Larry bit, he knew there were still fans out there that thought Niall was just a beard for Harry even though he most certainly was not and the couple most certainly did not follow the same pattern as Harry's past beards.

"I have no idea. He says that he got quite jealous the other day when this guy was flirting with me at this club we went to with my sister and Tommy. That and he probably grew out of his fear."

"Well either way I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks Neil. Now, how was your Valentine's Day?" Louis asked, raising his eyebrows at the blonde who blushed bright red.

"Well he took me out to dinner since we've been really busy these last two weeks and well yeah. You know how most nights end," Niall explained as best he could without really getting into detail. They were having a get together at their new place in a few days to show them around their new place and to drop their engagement news.

"Uh huh, sure lad. Now, is there a reason why you called or did you just want to get gossip?" Louis asked with a smirk and Niall sighed and shook his head.

"I did have a reason. Um Harold and I are throwing a party, I guess you can call it, next week Saturday with our families and obviously you lads. We hope you and Zayn can join us. Payno already said yes," Niall informs Louis who nods.

"We'll be there!"

"Good, I'll text you the address later in the week since it won't be at our place. I gotta go though, busy with a project and I need to make sure Harry isn't burning the house down."

"Bye lad."

Niall hung up and let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. Harry walked in with a smile and sat on the chair across from the desk.

"What'd Lou day?" Harry asked as he grabbed Niall's notebook and looked at his notes, not understanding one bit even though his fiancé had very lovely handwriting.

"He said they'll be here and Shawn said he wasn't sure about Oli since they're not actually talking right now," Niall explained to Harry who frowned as he looked up from the notes.

"They broke up?" Harry asked curiously and Niall shrugged.

"He just said they had a pretty big fight about three weeks ago and they haven't talked about that little detail. He guesses its best if they end things since they're both so busy and all."

"That really sucks. They really looked really happy."

"Yeah, it's a shame, but least it happened before they decided to move in together."

Harry nodded and the two fell silent shortly after, just the sound of Niall's fingers typing on the keyboard of his laptop.

The two had officially moved into their new house yesterday and even though they still had boxes to unpack and furniture to arrange, neither were in a real hurry.

//February 27//

Niall and Harry have been busy all day getting ready to host their family and friends to tell them the news. They've been running around their new house getting things ready and cleaning up any remaining mess they might have had lingering around. It's been a long busy week with both working long hours to make their new home perfect.

The first of their guests arrive at four and they catch Niall fighting with Trixie over his shoe and Harry sighs as he goes over to open the door, rethinking the whole wanting to adopt another dog and having kids thing.

"Hi dear, are we early?" Anne asks as she stands there holding a tray with cookies, Gemma standing behind her with their step dad.

"No, not at all. Come in guys!" Harry tells them as he moves out of the way, hearing Trixie bark once and Niall yelp. "Sorry, they've been fighting all day."

Gemma snickered as she walked over to the living room where she saw Niall sitting on the floor with a slobbered up shoe in his hands and an angry looking Trixie in front of him.

"Babe, guests are here," Harry says with a smirk and Anne and her husband both look on with amused expressions.

"Uh hi," Niall greets them as he stands up, glaring at Trixie who barks again. "Welcome to our new home!"

"You boys bought this lovely house?" Anne asks in shock as they all look around the living room.

"Yeah we got it about a month ago?"

Harry shrugs as he wraps an arm around his fiance's waist and kisses his temple.

"Maybe, but we've been busy working around and making arrangements to it," Harry explains.

"Well congrats, boys," Anne's husband told them and the couple thank him before they head off to show them around the first floor and setting Anne's tray on the counter.

The next to arrive are both the Horan and Mendes family, Aaliyah hugging both Harry and Niall quickly before running off to find Trixie while Theo clings to Harry who holds him happily.

"Where's Shawn?" Niall asks Karen as they head to the living room where Anne, Gemma and Harry's stepdad are.

"Coming in a bit. He stopped by to talk with Oli," she replies and Niall nods in understanding.

The two boys are the last ones to arrive, nearly an hour later and they mumble their apologies even though Louis and Harry team up to tease the two when they spot a hickey on Oliver's neck that should have been able to be hidden by his shirt, but Shawn had probably miscalculated.

"Glad to see you guys are happy because I don't want you ruining my dinner," Niall tells them with a smile as he hugs the two.

"Asshole," Shawn says as he shoves the blonde away.

"Alright, now that we're all here," Harry says, glaring at the two playfully. "Let's all step into the dining room so we can eat."

"Finally! I was promised food," Louis said as he stood up from his seat and stretched, earning a few chuckles from everyone.

It's when they're all seated and the food is served that Maura asks why they're all together.

"Well besides the fact that we wanted you all to see our new home, we do have something important to tell you guys," Harry says as he reaches over to grab Niall's hand and smiling at the blonde.

"Uh well we're getting married," Niall told them, not really wanting to beat around the bush.

The silence that followed was one of shock and it was short lived before the room erupted into a lot of different noises. There were congratulations thrown in the mix with loud 'what's?!' followed by 'finally's!' and other things that was hard for Nial's ears to decipher. Niall and Harry simply laughed and waited until they all calmed down.

"When did this happen?" Maura asked with a large smile.

"Why didn't you boys tell us anything?" Anne asked next.

"How did it happen?" Karen asked.

"It happened on Valentine's Day and we wanted to keep this between us for a bit, let Zayn and Louis have their moment and uh well we went to dinner and Harry serenaded me and then he proposed," Niall explained with a smile as he remembered back to that day.

"I've got a video on my phone, I'll show it to you later," Harry informs the moms who nod excitedly and begin to coo at the couple.

"Any date set?" Liam asked his friends with a smile as they all went back to eating.

"Not yet. We haven't talked about that, but we don't want to wait too long. I know I'm going to be really busy this year, but we'll find the right time," Harry said as he smiled over at Niall who nodded.

Later that night, long after their families have left and the two are in bed under the covers, Harry turns on his side and looks at his fiancé who's reading a book.

"Babe?" Harry calls him.

"Yeah?" Niall replies as he places a bookmark and closes his book to give his full attention to Harry.

"You're so pretty."

"What do you want?" Niall sighs, but there's a smile on his face as he stares at his fiancé.

"How mad would you be if I told you I want to wait off on getting married?"

"Not very if you give me a good reason or two. I mean, Haz, I don't want to spend years engaged and then only for us to realize that marriage won't ever be our thing."

"I know I know, but like with me doing the movie this year and working on my album, I don't think we'll have time to plan a wedding for this year and find a date. Besides, I was thinking about maybe getting married on January 15 of next year?" Harry suggested as he moved to sit closer to the blonde and wrapped his arms around him.

"Are you sure we can make that? I mean we've got a lot to plan and you'll be busy most of the year and I've still gotta worry about school and my graduation," Niall asks Harry, running his hand through Harry's hair.

"We can hire a wedding planner or involve our three moms," Harry suggested, laying his head on Niall's shoulder.

"Not our moms, they'll want to take over everything and we'll have no say. I guess we can go with a wedding planner."

"You're right. We'll have to find the right venue, make a guest list and a million other things! Oh, I'm so excited already!" Harry exclaims and Niall laughs.

"Do we want a big wedding or no? I mean, we both have a lot of friends and a lot of family."

"I like the idea of having a big wedding, it's up to you though. I want you to be happy and comfortable."

"I'm okay with a big wedding," Niall tells him with a smile.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//March 1//

[picture of Niall and Harry kissing with Niall cupping Harry's face and showing off his engagement ring]

Liked by shawnmendes, nickgrimshaw, ashtonirwin and 1,584,397 others

 **harrystyles:** We've kept it to ourselves for a bit, but I asked my best friend to marry me and I've been the happiest man alive ever since 02/14. I can't wait until I can call you Mister Styles @niallhoran

View all 42,388 comments

 **ashtonirwin:** Congrats mate!! I'm so happy for you and Niall, both of you deserve to be happy and I wish you all the best.

 **LaurensCabello:** oh my goahsf!!! they're getting MARRIED!!! SOMEONE FUCKING HOld me

 **gemmastyles:** I'm so proud of you two !!

*

TRENDING

#NarryEngagement  
Niall Horan  
Harry Styles  
#CongratsNarry

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** #CongratsNarry and #NarryEngagement started trending three minutes after Harry announced their engagement via insta!

*

**"Harry Styles and Niall Horan are engaged!"**

_'That's right folks! The lovely couple who got back together around July of last year, broke the internet by announcing via Harry's Instagram that they are now engaged and have been for nearly a month now! The two first got together three years ago and broke things off nearly two years later in December due to an infidelity from Styles' part. It seems like all the bad stuff has been left behind now and the two have been happier than ever. We wish the couple all the luck...'_

*

[picture of Niall's left hand holding Harry's]

Liked by selenagomez, taylorswift and 302,372 others

 **niallhoran:** The beginning of a new chapter

View all 20,227 comments

 **taylorswift:** congrats honey!! You deserve all the happiness in the world xx

 **NarryFeels:** crying happy tears right now ;-;

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//March 3//

Ever since announcing their engagement, the couple have seen an increase of paparazzi following them every time they go out together. It's annoying, but Niall understands that they're just doing their job and wanting to figure out when's the wedding and all.

Today for example, the couple who are currently in LA, went to a lunch meeting with Harry's manager, Jeff and his wife. On their way out of the restaurant, they were swarmed by paps asking when and where the wedding would take place. Niall simply clung to Harry as they let their two bodyguards help them move through the sea of paps.

"Please make room!" Basil shouted with an arm extended outwards.

Niall had his face tucked into Harry's shoulder to help shield him from the camera flashes and Harry had an arm wrapped tightly around Niall's waist.

"You alright?" Harry asked the blonde quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"A little overwhelmed and my chest feels kinda tight," Niall replies back, letting out a small gasp and Harry tightened his hold on his fiancé before telling the security to help him get Niall out of that mess.

"Niall! Harry! When's the wedding?!" Someone asked.

"Any kids on the way?!" Another asked and Niall had to roll his eyes at that one.

Soon the couple made it to their car and got in the backseat with Harry hugging the blonde and pressing soft kisses to his face and neck. Niall took in a few deep breaths as he tried calming himself down.

"Just breath for me, love," Harry instructed gently as he played with Niall's hair, the blonde now resting his head on Harry's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Niall spoke up after awhile, lifting his head to look up at his worried fiancé who smiled softly.

"Sure?"

"Positive."

Their driver took them to their LA house, the one they bought the summer before they broke up. Once at their place, Harry went into the kitchen to grab the blonde a glass of water while Niall went into the living room and curled up on the couch, hands still shaking a tiny bit.

"Here love," Harry says softly as he walks over and hands him the water as he sits next to the blonde.

"Thank you," Niall mumbles as he takes the glass and takes a few sips.

After Niall's done with his glass, Harry takes it and sets it on the coffee table before pulling his fiancé into his arms. Niall took in a deep breath and buried his face into Harry's neck, closing his eyes as he relaxed in Harry's arms.

"I love you," Harry mumbles, his eyes closed as he held Niall tightly.

"Love you more," Niall replies as he pulls back to smile up at Harry who looks down and then connects their lips.

They get pretty into the kiss, with Niall now laying on the couch and Harry hoovering above him when their doorbell goes off and they pull away with a groan before looking at each other in confusion. Harry went off to go open the door and Niall sighed when he heard Louis' voice.

"Neil, lad, are you alright?!" Louis asked frantically as he cupped Niall's face and began checking him over for bruises.

"I'm fine?" Niall tells him but it comes out sounding like a question and both Harry and Zayn chuckle.

"We saw what happened with those nasty paps and I needed to make sure that they didn't touch a single hair on my sunshine's head."

"I'm fine, just got overwhelmed and they got too close and well I'm claustrophobic so yeah," Niall trails off lamely, slapping Louis' hands away from his face.

"You sure, babes?" Zayn asks as he walks over to hug the blonde tightly before sitting next to Louis as Harry sat on the arm rest of the couch behind his fiance.

"I'm sure. Besides, I've got Harry here who's helped me out," Niall reassures the couple in front of them as he places a hand on Harry's knee.

"It's just, we never thought things could get this bad with just an engagement announcement, now imagine how it'll be once we get married," Harry says and Niall lets out a small sigh, feeling Harry rub the back of his neck while the other two nod in sympathy.

"Speaking off, any date set yet?" Louis asked them with a grin and yelped when Zayn elbowed him. Zayn only shook his head, his boyfriend could be too nosy.

"January 15th," the couple reply with large smiles on their faces.

"Why so far? And why that date?"

"Well we officially met on January fifteenth so we thought that getting married on that day would be pretty great. And that far because Haz is doing his movie and album this year and I'm graduating and I've got a few things to do with Danger&Wilde," Niall explained to his two best friends who nodded in understanding.

"We would have liked for a summer wedding, but none of our dates lined up for this year and we wouldn't have had time for a honeymoon either," Harry further explained.

"Understandable, but if you guys need help with anything, just tell us. Even if you just need help with the guest list or getting a second opinion on anything," Zayn offers.

"Thanks lads."

//April 10//

"Are you going to invite Bressie?" Laura asks as she helps Niall look through a wedding magazine trying to find ideas. She insisted it was never too early to start thinking of things.

"I mean, I know Harry won't like it, but I don't want to be rude. It'd be up to him if he wants to show up, I know we haven't exactly gone to being friends like before, but he was still someone important in my life when Harry wasn't around," Niall explained as he looked through pictures of wedding cakes, frowning at some really weird ones.

"Well it's up to you and I'm sure he won't feel bad if you don't. But anyways, have you thought about your best man and stuff?"

"Nope. Well Harry and I want a maid of honor and a best man each, I know for my best man I want Shawn and for my maid of honor I was hoping you'd want to take that slot? If not then I'll ask Sel-"

"No way! That spot is mine, Horan! Thank you for thinking of me," Laura says with a large smile as she hugs Niall tightly. "And flower girl and ring bearer?"

"Uh not sure. We were thinking of having Lux and my nephew Theo though we'd also thought of having Louis' younger twin siblings, but we thought they were too young. It's a lot of details, oh my gosh this is stressful."

"Relax, you've got time and you're hiring a wedding planner anyways, right?"

"Yeah. Anyways, right now I'm more focused on my school anyways. I graduate next month, finally!"

Laura laughed and shook her head fondly.

*

Niall's on the phone with Sandra when Harry gets home from having done an interview for a magazine called Another Man. He smiles at the blonde who waves at him as he goes back to listening to whatever Sandra is saying on the phone.

"Sandra, you're killing me!" Niall complained and Harry chuckled as he went over to sit on the couch and pulled his fiancé onto his lap. "I can't go to France for a photo shoot. I'm so busy with my school work right now and finals are coming up."

"I know sweetie, but they want both you and Harry for a photo session and interview to talk about your engagement and stuff. They're literally calling you guys the hottest couple right now and I've talked with Jeff and I'm guessing he's either talked to Harry today or he'll do it soon," Sandra told him.

"Well if he says yes, than alright, but I'm really pushing it here," Niall tells her as he leans back against Harry's chest.

"I know love, and I'm sorry, but they've been begging to have you two on the cover since the news of your engagement broke out."

Niall hung up a few minutes later and sagged against Harry tiredly.

"We don't have to do that photoshoot, love. You're overworking yourself again and I know school is stressing you out right now," Harry says softly as he rubs the blonde's side. "You smell good."

"Don't I always smell good?" Niall asked with a teasing tone to his voice that made Harry laugh.

"You do, but you smell like flowers today and I really love it. Now, don't change the subject on me. I would love to do a photoshoot with you, but I don't want you to do this if you feel like you can't."

"So Jeff's talked to you about it then?"

"Yes and he says that it'd be a great thing for us to do, but it's all up to you, my love."

"Let's do it," Niall says after awhile.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun. Get to work with my boo."

Harry chuckles and pulls Niall into a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um originally I'd said that chapter 25 would be the last one, but I somehow got carried away and I kept adding chapters so I'm guessing chapter 30 will be the last but don't pay me too much attention because I lie and anything could happen. Also I'll be doing an Epilogue here for those of you who don't want to read the third book because of the Mpreg thing so you can have some nice closure with this story :)


	25. "your face"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **niallhoran:** @louist91 your face is gross, mate

//April 19//

They're in South France for their photoshoot. The people in charge of the photoshoot rented a villa with a great view of the ocean and a great swimming pool. It was a cute little villa with four bedrooms and four bathrooms and secluded gardens. Niall had fallen in love the minute they passed through the iron gates, looking at the rest of the place in awe.

They only had about two hours to get settled and get familiar with the place before they were being ushered by the wardrobe stylist to get changed. Unfortunately for the couple, they had to get ready in separate rooms or else they would never get ready, so in a way it felt like they were about to get married and couldn't see each other until the ceremony.

Harry was down by the pool waiting and talking to Lou Teasdale, who'd gone along since she works for Harry now. The crew was setting up their equipment and Niall stepped out of the house, his bare feet touching the warm concrete as he made his way towards Harry who looked over at the blonde with such a look it made him blush. Harry looked like he could literally melt with how he was looking at his fiance. He could be the human form of the heart eyes emoji.

"Harry, stop!" Niall whined, refusing to walk closer to Harry who let out a loud laugh before he approached the blonde and pulled him into his arms.

"You're the prettiest person in this whole entire world," Harry says, his arms around the blonde's waist as they began to sway, the two having large smiles on their faces and being so lost in their own world they didn't even hear the sounds of the camera going off.

Harry continued to dance with Niall softly and pecked his lips.

Harry was wearing a white nearly transparent button down shirt buttoned so only the three bottom ones were done and the rest was open so his chest was exposed along with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the black slacks rolled up as much as they could go up. Niall was in a similar outfit, just his shirt had some funky patterns to it that made him wonder if they hadn't switched his wardrobe with Harry's.

"Alright boys, let's get to this. If we can finish the shoot today, the interview will be tomorrow and then that'll be it," spoke the person in charge, Gabriela White.

"Sounds good," Niall replied with a smile, Harry's arms still around his waist.

They worked well until sunset, the photographer catching a beautiful photo of the two featuring the sunset. And although there were delays here and there either because Niall and Harry can't be serious for ten minutes or because Niall got the hiccups mid beach shoot and Harry couldn't stop giggling at that.

"It's been a long day," Lou says fondly as she records Niall and Harry who were sitting on the edge of the pool splashing water at each other with their feet.

"Harry stop!" Niall shrieked for like the millionth time that day as Harry threatened to push him in the pool.

"Alright boys! Just a few more to go and we'll be done!" The photographer yelled at the couple who nodded and stood up.

"We should work together more often," Harry says from behind the blonde, his front pressed firmly against his back with his tattooed arms around Niall's slim waist and his lips brushing against his ear. Niall shivered a bit in his arms.

"Too much work," Niall teases his fiancé with a playful smirk on his face.

"You little dork!" Harry laughed as picked up the blonde bridal style, ignoring the camera flashes and headed for the pool as Niall began to scream.

Harry jumped in the pool with Niall holding on tightly and the crew laughed as they went in with a splash, water spilling onto the concrete before the two emerged, both gasping for air.

"Asshole!" Niall screamed.

"And we're done!" Someone from the crew shouted.

"Sorry love. I've been wanting to push you in all day," Harry admitted nonchalantly and Niall huffed.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//April 30//

[picture of a Polaroid of Niall and Harry sitting in the garden surrounded by roses and kissing]

Liked by louist91, ddlovato, harrystyles and 351,264 others

 **niallhoran:** when in France...

View all 20,118 comments

 **louist91:** gross, but cute

 **niallhoran:** @louist91 your face is gross, mate

 **louist91:** @niallhoran what a child, get better comebacks lad !!

*

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** You can now pre order your copy of belle âme magazine with Narry on the cover!!  
|  
 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** There are three different covers you can choose from, but one is already sold out so hurry and grab your copy!!

//May 1//

 **belle âme Magazine @belle âme_mag:** All three covers are officially sold out! We'll have a limited amount available within the week, so keep your eyes peeled!!

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//May 5//

Finals are a week away and Niall is going crazy trying to study and making sure his project is done and ready to go. Harry's been busy attending meetings for the movie he'll start filming soon and also with trying to find a live band for his solo career. Since getting back from France, neither have been able to spend much time together as either one is heading to LA or busy with school, or the other is in New York for a photoshoot and the other at home.

It hasn't caused any problems between them. Not yet at least and Niall was really hoping it wouldn't.

He's at home alone practicing his song when Harry gets home. He smiles wide at the sound of Niall's guitar and his soft singing.

"Hi love, busy?" Harry asks as he kisses his forehead in greeting before sitting next to him on the couch.

"No, just practicing for next week. My professor decided that we have to perform our songs in front of the class. I've never been this nervous in my life," Niall tells Harry.

"Big lie. You were pretty nervous before fashion week."

"Ass. How was your day?" Niall asks as he sets his guitar down.

"Pretty good, but uh I'm cutting my hair tomorrow," Harry tells Niall who looks at him with wide eyes.

"What? Why? Is it for the movie?"

"Yeah and well I'd really like to donate it, you know? When I first started growing it out, I always thought it'd be pretty cool to do so. Of course I never thought I'd actually make it this far and I thought I'd end up cutting it before it could get long enough. I made it though."

"You did, but now I won't be able to braid your hair or practice other hairstyles! What are we going to do if we have a girl and I can't do her hair?"

"Only you would worry about that," Harry says fondly as he rolls his eyes and Niall glares at him.

//May 13//

It's the day of Niall's performance and he's very nervous. He couldn't even eat breakfast with how nervous he was. Harry had to leave early so he wasn't there when Niall woke up and it only made him feel worse. Currently he's on his way to school with his guitar in the backseat and singing his song softly under his breath, occasionally missing a verse or part of the chorus which only made him frustrated.

Just before he got out of the car he got a text from Harry and it calmed him down a bit.

 **Harold:** morning love! Sorry I couldn't be there at home in the morning to send you off with a big kiss and a good luck, but I know you're going to kill it today and I'm super proud of all of your hard work !!

 **Harold:** just take some deep breaths for me because it's all going to be amazing and you'll get an excellent grade on your project.

 **Harold:** I love you so much and I can't wait until you tell me all about it at home xx

 **Niall:** thank u so much H!! I can't wait to get this over with

 **Niall:** love you lots, bear xoxo

Niall took in a few deep breaths before he grabbed his guitar and got out of his car. The walk from the parking lot to his classroom seemed to take forever and he felt like throwing up what little food he had in his stomach with each step he took. He eventually makes it and takes his usual seat next to this girl with lilac colored hair who's name is Clarisse. They're not friends friends, but they've talked a few times and had even done a project together at the start of the year.

As soon as the clock hits 10:30, the professor walks out of his office and greets the students who immediately stop their nervous chatter. Clarisse's left leg was bouncing up and down and the guy who sits in front of Niall had an annoying tapping going on.

"Alright students! We've got the next hour and a half to get through all of you, if we don't then you guys will be coming in tomorrow and if we do get through all of you, well then you won't have to worry about this class tomorrow!" Their professor told them with a large grin as he wrote the words 'FINAL EXAM TODAY' in large letters. "I won't pick volunteers, we're going through alphabetical order so Jacob Akins you're first."

Niall knew that the disadvantage of having a class with less than thirty peers meant that he was also only eighth on the list seeing as most of everyone else had last names with letters after H.

Clarisse goes before Niall and he's always loved her voice. It's soft and sweet and she can hit high notes pretty well and without even trying, but chooses not to over do it like many singers today. Her songs are also always very touching, this time she wrote a song in memory of her late younger sister and it brought everyone to tears as she sat at the piano in the front of the room. Once she was done, she received a standing ovation from everyone.

"Excellent job, Clarisse. That was a very touching performance and I'm sure your sister enjoyed it as much as we did," their professor told her with a gentle smile on his face and she thanked him quietly as she grabbed a tissue and wiped at her eyes carefully. "Next up is Niall Horan."

"Oh Jesus," he mumbled under his breath as he stood up and Clarisse gave his arm a soft squeeze as she reached her seat.

"Good luck," she whispered and he thanked her as he moved to sit on the stool in front of the room.

"Alright mister Horan, whenever you're ready."

Taking a deep breath, Niall's fingers began to strum the notes on his guitar and he looked up at his peers, catching a familiar face in the crowd. There sitting in the very back and wearing a SnapBack and Niall's college hoodie, was Harry Styles with a large smile on his face and it made all of Niall's nerves disappear. So with the sudden gain in confidence, Niall began to sing.

 _"When you feel your love's been taken. When you know there's something missing. In the dark, we're barely hangin' on. Then you rest your head upon my chest, and you feel like there ain't nothing left. I'm afraid that what we had is gone,"_ Niall sings, already feeling himself get worked up since he wrote it back when him and Harry weren't together anymore. Back when barely a month had gone by since their break up.

Niall resists the urge to roll his eyes as he starts into the chorus, seeing Harry with his phone out and recording. He lowers his head instead to hide his smile.

 _"Then I think of the start. And it echoes a spark. And I remember the magic electricity. Then I look in my heart. There's a light in the dark. Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me. That I wanna keep. Please don't leave. Please don't leave. And I want this to pass. And I hope this won't last. Last too long,"_ Niall sings from his heart, tears blurring his vision but he refuses to let them fall. Not yet at least. _"Then I think of the start. And it echoes a spark. And I remember the magic electricity. Then I look in my heart. There's a light in the dark. Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me. That I wanna keep. Please don't leave. Please don't leave."_

Niall finishes off and it's quiet for a second and fear grips his chest, but then they're all clapping and standing up and Harry stands proud and tall in the back, clapping loudly with a large smile on his face and goes to wipe a tear.

"Wonderful work, mister Horan. Truly beautiful."

Niall said a quiet thanks before heading back to his seat, sending Harry a smile as he sat down.

They get through all of the students and once class ends, Niall shoots up from his seat and heads over to Harry who's waiting for him, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck. Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around Niall's waist and twirled him around.

"You did so amazing! I'm so so proud of you, bunny," Harry tells the blonde as he sets him down on the ground and pulls away to look at him, his green eyes bright and shining with excitement that made Niall feel all sorts of things.

"How-?"

"Well I walked out of my meeting early and I came over and asked your professor if I could sit in to listen. He was surprisingly okay with it so I didn't have to beg. Just signed something for his daughter and recorded a small video greeting her," Harry explains with a shrug as he takes Niall's guitar from him.

"I was really nervous, but it all went away when I saw you. I honestly thought I was seeing things," Niall tells him as they walk out of the room and head out to the parking lot. "I'm done for the day."

"Good, cause I want to take you out for lunch. I'm sure you didn't eat anything this morning," Harry says as they walk with his arm around the blonde's waist, earning a few surprised looks from the students that were lingering outside.

"You know me so well."

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

[sixty second video of Niall's performance]

8,618 views

 **NarryUpdates:** some girl on twitter posted this of Niall singing an unknown song. The link for the full vid is in my bio!!

View all 317 comments

 **NarryFeels:** that voice tho!! Need a full album with his sweet voice

 **LaurensCabello:** such a great song, wonder if he wrote it

*

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** again with the privacy

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** you think you'd be safe at school, but then one of your classmates invades your privacy like that

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

//May 16//

After that video leaked, Niall had to register the song under his name so no one would get smart and claim that he stole it from someone or whatever. Harry's now in France filming for the movie and Niall misses him like crazy. He's still in the middle of finals and Shawn is visiting for a few days, so he's not totally alone and he has someone to get him out of studying when it gets too much.

Graduation is in two and a half weeks and he's very nervous and excited for that. He'll finally be done with school and soon after that he'll be focused on wedding preparations. He's already got a meeting set up with a wedding planner next month even though the moms all insisted that they could help him.

*

"Have you got anything ready yet?" Shawn asks, referring to the wedding topic they eased into during their lunch outing.

"Besides the date? Nope. I mean, least we got that part down and for someone to declare us officially married, so we could do it at our place if it comes down to that because I know how busy Harry will be this year and I'll probably be left alone to the wedding things," Niall replies with a small shrug, though he's already tired and nothing's been starting yet.

"But what do _you_ want? Do you want a big wedding or something more intimate? And don't lie to me because I've known you for like a billion years."

"Honestly? I just want it to be beautiful and perfect and I'll like it either big or small as long as the most important people in my life are there. Our families, the boys and their families and obviously Harry. I'll be fine with anything, but like, I'm only getting married once, well at least I'd hope, and I want it to be the most amazing thing ever and for it to be memorable and for it to be a great story for me to tell my kids someday. I really don't know."

Shawn simply chuckles as he reaches for his glass and shakes his head at his excited best friend.

"So how are you and Oliver? Haven't heard from him in awhile," Niall asks Shawn who blushes a bit and looks down at his plate of food.

"We've been talking about moving in together, but the problem is where. You know with him being from here and me from Canada and us constantly being in LA for one thing or another, we're not sure, but we're thinking of the pros and cons of getting a place together in each city."

"I'm happy for you. Oli's a great guy and you really deserve it."

"You know I had this dream where we were both living in this amazing house and I could hear kids laughing and when I woke up, he was sleeping next to me, but the idea of getting that committed never scared me. Doesn't scare me."

"Aww. I'm so proud of you," Niall says and pretends to wipe a tear away and it only makes Shawn laugh and shake his head.

//May 30//

Graduation creeps up on Niall quickly. Like so quick he wishes he'd have more time to prepare himself from this. All he really remembers is having received near perfect grades on all his finals, including his performance where he received a perfect score on and Harry and him celebrated through some Skype sex which was quite weird, but he guesses he'd have to get used to it while Harry was off filming.

Niall's sitting in his assigned spot with his classmates dressed in his cap and gown as people made their speeches up in front. His family and Shawn and his family were sitting in the audience. All of his hard work, late nights and constant studying paid off and now he was minutes away from receiving his diploma.

The ceremony goes by really fast and soon enough, Niall's being approached by his soon-to-be-husband who has a bouquet of a dozen red roses and two graduation themed balloons and a large smile on his face, his eyes slightly red. Niall can't wipe the large smile from his face and his cheeks hurt but he doesn't realize it. Not when Harry's hugging him so tight and saying how proud he was. They kiss for a few short seconds before Harry's letting go, reluctantly, and letting Niall get hugged by his parents, and then the Mendes family.

Niall's finally accomplished the one thing he thought about giving up on time and time again. He likes this feeling though. He fells all happy and excited for the future and he likes the feeling he gets when they all congratulate him. They all go out to celebrate at a restaurant, all eleven of them and Niall's never been more glad that the paps seem to leave them alone as well as the fans. No one had approached Harry during the ceremony to ask for a picture and the couple had really appreciated that.

Niall was really happy.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

[picture of Harry hugging Niall after the graduation ceremony]

Liked by nickgrimshaw, gemmastyles and 1,592,176 others

 **harrystyles:** Words honestly can't describe how proud I am of you

View all 36,922 comments

 **gemmastyles:** Congrats to my baby!!

 **louehsMalik:** yay !!! Congrats Niall !!

*

[picture of Niall in his cap and gown holding up his diploma and smiling big]

Liked by louist91, camila_cabello, taylorswift and 342,224 others

 **niallhoran:** I MADE IT !!

View all 13,287 comments

 **louist91:** That's my lad !! Lots of love, mate!

 **camila_cabello:** congrats on your big day, Irish! Love you, bb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue what I'm writing anymore and technically this was meant to be the last chapter but something happened and now it's not
> 
> I was so tired this morning that I actually fell asleep while using the toilet. Yeah, I took a three minute power nap and I would have probably stayed there if it weren't for my little sister knocking on the door telling me to hurry up or she'd be late to school since I drive her to school. I'm still tired and I ate a lot for dinner. That's been my day.


	26. "BE QUIET"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Glad to know you made up, but if you plan on having make up sex when there's a guest in the house, then PLEASE BE FUCKING QUIET! Love Louis," Harry reads out loud and Niall giggles and shrugs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's like a huge time skip halfway through, sorry haha!!

//June 3//

Niall's in France with Harry. He'll be staying there for about two weeks before he has to head back to London to meet up with the wedding planner to start looking for where they want to hold the wedding. Harry and Niall have also worked on their guest list and well so far they've got a list close to one hundred and they know that list will only grow a bit more the following months. They try to stick with people they're close with and Niall is really debating about whether he should add Bressie to the list. He hasn't voiced his thoughts to Harry, doesn't know if he should. One thing's for sure though, neither boy wanted to leave anyone out for fear of making them feel bad. The list had to be done soon though, because they needed to start sending out invitations.

The rest of June brings Niall traveling from London, to where Harry's filming his movie in France to LA and sometimes New York or another country. He's been doing more photoshoots, an interview here and there, the fall campaign for Danger&Wilde since Niall now signed a two year contract with them as the face of said clothing line along with Bella Hadid, who Niall adores by the way. He even filmed a video of an acoustic version of the song he sang for his finals and released that even though he had no plans of starting a singing career, but the reaction was more than what he expected. A lot of people were telling him to make more music and he'd even gotten an article on Billboard praising him for the song and his voice. It was surreal, but Niall was accomplishing something he never thought he could.

Of course with Harry being away and Niall constantly traveling back and forth, also came the fights. Since getting back together, they've fought very little, never lasting a day mad at each other, but now with how stressed they both were, their fights would last three days at the most.

//July 1//

A particularly bad fight happened when both were in different countries talking over Skype. Niall was reading an email that the wedding planner had sent him while Harry was talking about something that had happened on set with Fionn, his costar. Niall had met the guy, a bit on the quiet side, but very nice nonetheless and he really liked him, but every time Niall tried talking to Harry about something related to the wedding, either the singer now actor would ignore him or keep talking about his day with Fionn. It angered Niall because he was doing all the wedding stuff on his own and he hadn't even gone in to look at picking out a tux or pick out the dress for the flower girl.

"I'm sick tired of this," Niall said as he set his phone down and removed his glasses, making Harry shut up instantly and frown on the screen.

"Tired of what?" Harry asks in confusion.

"We're getting married in like six months and I've been planning this thing on my own! You've only helped to make the guest list and I get that you're working on a movie, but I've also been working Harry. I was just in Miami yesterday, Harry, for no more than twelve hours just so I could fly back so I could meet the wedding planner the next day! I'm exhausted doing this on my own!" Niall told him, trying hard to not raise his voice but he was tired and very frustrated.

"Then what do you want from me? It's not my fault you're not asking for my opinion on this stuff! I just assumed you had everything under control, how the hell was I supposed to know you felt this way? Huh? There's ways to ask me to get involved. Send me an email of color schemes or decorations and I'll help you!"

"What's the point? I asked you how many people we should have per table and you told me to decide! Does that not make me believe that you're not into this? It makes me wonder why we're getting married if I'm the one deciding everything," Niall says, looking away from the screen and trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

He always thought that when he got married with Harry, the two would be choosing everything together. From the smallest of details to even the music choice. So far Niall's picked nearly half of the things on his own because at least Harry was around to choose a venue otherwise they'd be getting married in the snow like Phoebe and Mike from Friends.

"Is this your way of telling me that you're calling off the wedding?" Harry scoffed and Niall turned to face the screen quickly, mouth opening in shock because he never implied he was going to call it off. "If it is, then I hope you haven't sent out the invitations, if you did, then good luck with your party."

And with that Harry hung up and Niall sobbed. He sobbed because he missed his Harry. He sobbed because he was tired physically and now emotionally. He sobbed because he feels so alone.

Grabbing his phone, Niall dialed Louis' number as he curled up on his bed. He was hiccuping and shaking, his heart hurting over what happened.

"Hiya sunshine!" Louis greeted cheerfully. "Ni?"

"N-Need you!" Niall cried out desperately, just wanting the comfort of someone.

"Babe? What's wrong?"

"P-Please."

"Alright, I'm on my way, yeah? I still have that copy of the key you gave me so I'll walk right in. Don't worry, lad."

Fifteen minutes later and Louis walked into the house, being greeted by a sad Trixie who immediately lead him up the stairs to the master bedroom. Louis thanked her quietly before walking in and his heart breaking at the sight of Niall curled up on the too big bed hugging a pillow to his chest. Louis walked over and got on the bed next to him, wiping away Niall's tears.

"I'm here, love. Care to tell me what's wrong?" Louis asked softly, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

And Niall explained everything, choking up on words and eventually crying again once he was done.

"Hey no, I'm sure Harry didn't mean that, yeah? He has to understand that planning a wedding is no easy task and should be done by the both of you," Louis spoke softly as he held the sad blonde to his chest. "Why don't you get some rest, yeah? You look like you really need it."

"Can't, have to meet up with Sandra and then the wedding planner," Niall explained in a hoarse voice as he sat up and checked the time on his phone.

"No you're not. I'll call Sandra and tell her that you can't make it and as for the wedding planner, I'm sure we can reschedule for tomorrow. Right now you need some sleep because I'm sure as hell you're quite jet lagged," Louis insisted as he took Niall's phone and started making the calls.

Niall let Louis do as he pleased, knowing the older man was right and instead he laid down and closed his eyes ready to get some much needed sleep.

**~ ~ ~ */LOUIS/* ~~ ~**

Once he was sure Niall was asleep, he covered the boy with a thin blanket and left the room, heading downstairs where Trixie was sitting by the back door staring out the glass door sadly. Louis smiled and opened the door for her, watching as she ran off quickly and he grabbed his phone, dialing Harry's number as he sat outside watching over Trixie.

"You're an ass," is what Louis says when Harry picks up.

"Look, I'm not in the mood-"

"No, you're going to listen to me. That boy that you say you love, has literally been in two countries in twenty four hours. He's had meetings and photo shoots all week and he's planning a wedding that you're not even getting involved in and you still have the fucking nerve to say those things to him?! He's overworking himself Harry."

It's quiet on the other line for about a minute before Louis starts to hear quiet sniffles. He sighs and looks down at his lap.

"Look, just talk to him. He needs to know that you are interested in this. I get that you're in a different country, but there's still ways to get involved. Ask him what he needs help with or talk about what you want," Louis tells Harry in a much calmer voice, watching Trixie chase a butterfly.

"I- Yeah. I do need to talk to him to apologize. Is he there with you?" Harry asks softly.

"He's sleeping right now, will probably be asleep for a few hours since he looked about ready to pass out."

"Alright, just text me when he's up and I'll talk to him."

"You better or I'll fly over there to beat your ass."

Harry chuckled softly and the two hung up shortly after. Louis stayed outside for a bit longer, watching Trixie roll around in the grass happily. His phone rang again and he smiled when he saw Zayn's name on the screen.

"Hello boyfriend," Louis greets him happily.

"Hello lover. How are you?" Zayn asks and Louis hears other people on the other end of the line and he guesses Zayn's still filming the video for his second single.

"I'm okay. I'm at Niall and Harry's working as a marriage counselor."

"What?" Zayn chuckles. "Don't they have to be married for you to be a marriage counselor? What's going on with the couple of the year?"

"They got into this big fight and Harry kind of called off the wedding, in a way. Well he didn't exactly say that. He just told Niall that if the invitations were sent, then to have fun at his party because he wasn't going. Poor Ni called me in tears and he's sleeping right now. That poor thing looked like he hadn't slept in days."

"Poor Nialler, he's really putting his all to this wedding. I'm guessing you talked to Harry then?"

"Oh yeah. Made him see that Niall was overworking himself while he was too busy filming his movie. He promised he'd talk to Niall to apologize."

"Well I hope they work things out. I miss you," Zayn says softly and Louis lets out a soft sigh.

"I miss you more, dork. Can't wait until you come back," Louis tells him, smiling at Trixie who walks over to him.

"Me neither, just three more days, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Later that evening, Louis was in the kitchen working on dinner when Niall walks in freshly showered and wearing one of Harry's old Fleetwood Mac shirts and flannel pajama pants.

"Hi love, how are you feeling?" Louis asks him softly as he lets Niall cling to his side.

"Tired. You didn't have to stay, you know," Niall tells him, his arms wrapped around Louis' waist as he watches him cook.

"But I couldn't leave my little lad alone now could I? Besides, if I would have left then you wouldn't have made yourself something to eat. Now go sit and let Chef Tommo serve you."

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~~ ~**

//July 2//

It's nearing two in the morning when Harry walks into his house, Louis' car still parked in the driveway. The house is dark and silent and he takes off his shoes at the entrance, using his phone as a flashlight as he walks towards the stairs and walks upstairs quietly, hoping that Louis didn't stay in the same room with Niall.

Harry reaches his bedroom and walks inside, sighing in relief when he sees Niall alone on the large bed. He sets his bag near the foot of the bed and removes his jeans and shirt and turns off the flashlight before climbing onto the bed and climbing over to Niall, pressing soft kisses from his shoulder to his neck to his cheek.

"Lou, stop," Niall mumbled tiredly, trying to swat at the person and Harry giggles quietly.

"I would hope my best friend wasn't kissing my fiancé like that," Harry says loudly and Niall gasps before he's sitting up, nearly knocking his head against Harry's.

"What are you doing here?" Niall asks in shock as he reaches over to turn on the lamp.

"I really wanted to apologize and I didn't want to do it over the phone so after Louis threatened to kick my ass, I caught the earliest flight I could and well here I am," Harry explains a little scared of Niall's reaction. "I just- I'm really sorry, Niall. I really am. I never meant to say those things or to act like the wedding isn't important to me. It is, I just thought that you didn't need my help."

"Are you dumb? Of course I want your help, Haz. This is our wedding. _Our_ wedding. As much as I know you as a person, I can't decide what you think will be a good center piece or whatever. We need to be doing this as a team," Niall tells Harry as he cups his cheek and looks at him tiredly. "There's only so much I can do on my own."

"I know and I'm sorry. I promise to be more involved. How about we meet up with the wedding planner tomorrow and we pick things out together?" Harry suggests as he pulls Niall onto his lap and begins to kiss down his neck, savoring the soft moans that escape his future husband's lips as he bites at his skin softly.

"Sounds like a plan," Niall whispers as he closes his eyes and throws his head back to give Harry better access. "Now this is something you can't get through Skype."

Harry laughs at that and works on removing Niall's shirt.

*

In the morning Harry wakes up under the sheets with Niall on top of him and the sheets covering their lower halves. Harry hears the soft soothing sounds of the rain hitting the windows and he smiles as he lays in bed just waiting for Niall to wake up so they can shower and go eat breakfast.

"Haz," Niall whines tiredly as he lifts his head up to look at Harry who smiled.

"Yes?" Harry asks him. "Morning."

"I'm hungry."

Harry laughs and shakes his head as he moves Niall so he's laying on his side.

"Then I guess we should go shower so we can have breakfast. I'll cook."

"Well I would hope so. You did wake me up at two am to have sex," Niall says playfully as he sits up and Harry pouts.

After a not so quick shower, the two head downstairs fully dressed for their day ahead and find a note on the kitchen counter from Louis.

"Glad to know you made up, but if you plan on having make up sex when there's a guest in the house, then PLEASE BE FUCKING QUIET! Love Louis," Harry reads out loud and Niall giggles and shrugs.

"Oops," Niall says though Harry knows he doesn't mean it.

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~~ ~**

//January 14//

It's almost the big day and Niall can't wait. Mostly because he just wants to end it because long months went into planning his wedding and he finally wants the pressure to be over. They've kept everything a secret, though certainly someone's bound to tip the press and fans and they'll have a bunch of wedding crashers. For some reason that thought doesn't bother him, as long as they let him marry Harry then he'll be happy. He's been waiting for this day since like forever. Well not really, but as a fan your biggest wish is to marry your idol and well Niall's a perfect example of that now.

The wedding will be taking place at a hotel, with the reception hall being big enough to fit around four hundred guests even though there's not even half of that on their guest list including their plus ones.

"I just wanna see Harry!" Niall whines for the millionth time that day. He's staying in a completely different floor in the hotel from Harry and he hasn't seen his future husband in nearly twenty four hours.

"Well too bad. You've gone way longer without seeing him than this, don't be weak," Shawn scolded him, slightly grumpy since he was stuck on babysitting duty while the rest of FOUR were with Harry.

"Aww babe, don't be so mean. The lad's getting married tomorrow," Oliver tells Shawn who rolls his eyes. "I'm sorry Nialler, but you can't see him until tomorrow. The wait will be worth it, trust me."

"I know, but I guess it's just the nerves. I just- I know I've been away from him for a month at a time or even longer, but I'm getting married!"

"Oh hush," Shawn says as he throws a pillow at Niall who yelps. "So your video reached twenty million views yesterday, is that enough to convince you to take a singing career?"

"Nope, though I was very surprised by that. I made sure to thank everyone though, but it's not something I'm interested in. Besides, I've got a family to focus on now and Harry's slowing down his career now as well," Niall explains as he grabs the pillow that had been thrown at him and places it on his lap.

"That fast? You guys don't want to test the married life first? Many couples wait a year or three before starting one."

"Well we're not like most couples and we really want to start as soon as possible. We've got an empty house with too many rooms and it kinda gives me the creeps when I'm home alone," Niall confesses and Oliver laughs as he leans further into Shawn's side.

There's a knock on the hotel room door and Niall gets up from the couch to go open it, smiling at Laura who steps into the room and greets the two other boys sitting on the other couch.

"Boys, mind if I steal the bride to be for a bit?" Laura asks and Niall shouts a 'hey!' that goes ignored by them.

"Please, take him. Keep him for all I care. I can't take his whining much longer," Shawn tells her and Laura laughs as Oli punches his boyfriend's side for Niall.

"I'll bring him back early and sober. Hopefully. You know you can't count on Irish people."

Laura takes Niall by the hand and drags him out of the room.

"So where are we going?" Niall asks as she presses the down button for the elevator.

"To the bar. Eoghan, Bressie, Willie and Deo are waiting for us downstairs," she informs him.

"You're gonna get me drunk, aren't you?" He questions her as he leans back against the elevator wall and watches the number change, silently being thankful that it keeps moving despite the mini heart attack he's going through at the moment. Getting from the twentieth floor to the first isn't his cup of tea at the moment.

"You're so pretty and smart," Laura says as she kisses his cheek and then proceeds to drag him out of the elevator once it stops at their desired floor.

In the end Niall did invite Bressie and to make it even he even invited Taylor Swift who actually confirmed. Her, Harry and Niall had actually gone out to dinner a few weeks back so her and Harry could get rid of any awkward tension before the wedding. In the end all three had shared great laughs.

"There's our future mister Styles!" Eoghan shouts in glee once Niall and Laura reach their table, attracting the attention of a few people.

"Yeah yeah, I need a drink," Niall says as he sits down next to Willie who ruffles his hair.

Two rounds of tequila and a fruity cocktail later, Niall finds himself going up to order his own drink, sitting next to a guy who was wearing a fedora and was bent over his own drink and taking careful sips from the straw.

"Heard you're getting married tomorrow," the voice drawls out in a deep tone that sends shivers down Niall's back. The good kind of shivers.

"Uh yeah," Niall says as he orders himself a beer, still being able to hear his crew even though they were tucked near the back of the bar.

"Congrats," the guy says as he looks over and flashes him a smile. "Your future husband is a very lucky guy."

"Oh? And why is that?" Niall asked in curiosity, a playful smirk on his face as he sat back and looked at the handsome guy, his left hand curled around his beer.

"You are very gorgeous. And someone as gorgeous as you only deserves the best, so I hope he's the perfect guy for you."

"He definitely is. He's tall and he's got these amazing green eyes and dimples that make my knees go a little weak and he's got tattoos that drive me absolutely crazy. He's handsome and sappy and makes these terrible dad jokes that I'm very fond off."

"Hey! I do not make dad jokes!" The guy exclaims with a pout and Niall laughs.

"You're so dumb, Harry," Niall tells him as he keeps laughing and Harry huffs as he goes back to his drink and turns away from his still fiancé. "Aww babe, I'm sorry."

"Thought we had a nice thing going on here, and you ruined it by making fun of my jokes. They're very lovely and they make the fans laugh," Harry insists as he takes off his fedora and puts it on Niall instead. "You should wear hats more often, you look bloody hot."

"Twat," Niall says after taking a sip of his beer and fixing the fedora on his head. "Why so lonely here?"

"The lads are here somewhere, they wanted to come bring me out for drinks before I tied the knot," Harry explains with a shrug as he turns to face Niall and places a hand on his knee. "I really can't wait for tomorrow."

"Me neither. Gonna be the happiest day of our lives."

Harry's grin widens and he leans forward to press his lips against Niall's briefly before pulling back.

"Our babysitters did a very terrible job at keeping us apart," Harry comments, holding Niall's hand over the counter.

"They really did," Niall agrees with a smile.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~~ ~**

//January 15 ; 06:02 am//

_Harry Styles. retweeted_

**Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** twelve hours to go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways, I'll update again on Saturday because they're getting married. hopefully because I'm getting sick so fingers crossed I won't feel worse by then


	27. "my husband"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **harrystyles:** Happy to finally be able to call you my husband @niallstyles

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~~ ~**

//January 15 ; 09:43 am//

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** don't think I've ever been this nervous in my life  
|  
 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** @NiallOfficial WRONG! Fashion week, your school final  
|  
 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** @Harry_Styles what's your point mate??  
|  
 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** @NiallOfficial that you're a liar, my precious Irish bunny  
|  
 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** @Harry_Styles F. U. no one asked you

/10:19 am/

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** why is time moving so slow? Why have I been up since five?

 **Shawn Mendes @ShawnMendes:** @NiallOfficial why don't you shut up?

/10:51 am/

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** longest day of my life  
|  
 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** @NiallOfficial completely agree

*

 **Narry Updates @NarryUpdates:** RUMOR|| apparently Niall and Harry are getting married today!

/12:01 pm/

TRENDING

#NarryWedding  
Harry Styles  
Niall Horan  
Niall Styles

 **Niall Horan @NiallOfficial:** oops

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~~ ~**

/12:16 pm/

"So it's trending on Twitter now and even some gossip site picked up on the rumors," Shawn tells Niall who sighs. "Neither of you are confirming it, right?"

"Not right now, but I'm also not going to forbid the guests from uploading pictures or videos. Maybe we can start hinting at it now. Like small things that might indicate that there is some truth," Niall explains as he scrolls through the hashtag. The only thing that indicates that's true is the pictures of Shawn's family at Heathrow and Camila Cabello having arrived the day before. "I'm so nervous. And why the hell is time ticking so slow!?"

Oliver chuckled and moved around the room setting out his and Shawn's suits even though they didn't have to start getting ready until five. The ceremony started at six and the reception was going from seven to four in the morning. Niall wasn't really sure. He guesses it could go further than four. It won't matter if it does though, Niall and Harry have a flight to catch at noon to head out on their honeymoon.

"I'm hungry," Niall says as he lays back on the bed.

"Thought you wanted to throw up," Shawn teased his friend who groaned.

"Well I'm hungry now."

"I'll order you something," Oliver offered the blonde who thanked him.

/2:51 pm/

"How are you?" Laura asked the blonde as she stood by the bathroom doorway, watching the boy kneel over the toilet bowl and throw up. "You really need to calm down."

"What if he decides at the last minute that I'm not worth it? What if he realized that I'm not what he thought I was?" Niall asks in clear panic and Laura sighs as she wets a flannel and kneels down next to the panicking boy.

"That boy loves you so damn much, Niall, don't ever doubt it. He wouldn't have gone through this mess if he realized you weren't what he actually wanted," Laura spoke softly yet sternly as she wiped at Niall's mouth. "And don't you dare get cold feet. You've spent long months planning this to perfection. You're going to get out there, marry the love of your life and enjoy that party. After everything that you two have gone through, this is the moment you've both been waiting for."

Niall nodded at her words and flushed the toilet. Laura helped him up and gave him a big hug before letting him go.

"Now, brush your teeth and start getting ready because knowing you, you're going to be the one who makes Harry wait at the altar."

Niall laughed and ushered Laura out of the bathroom. She was dressed in a white robe, but her manicure was completely done and her hair was wrapped up in a towel. Everyone was starting to get ready and he was still in his pajamas working through his third panic attack of the day.

**~ ~ ~ */HARRY/* ~~ ~**

/3:03 pm/

"Why are you so calm?" Louis asks Harry who's sitting on a couch playing a game on his phone.

"I'm not, I just know how to control my emotions," Harry responded, groaning as he lost the level of Candy Crush he was on. "I hate this game, why am I playing it?"

"Because you took my phone," came Liam's response as he sat pouting and Louis rolled his eyes.

"I can't find Zayn and I'm nervous because I'm not the one who's getting married," Louis says as he paces the hotel room floor.

"Oh my gosh, what if Niall's missing right now and you all know but don't want to tell me?" Harry asked in panic.

"Alright Monica, this isn't an episode of FRIENDS."

Harry huffed and handed the phone back to Liam. The hours were ticking by oh so slow and Harry was itching to just go kidnap Niall and get hitched right now without having anyone else.

"So how long will you two be gone on your honeymoon?" Liam asked Harry to try and distract him.

"Um three weeks. I wanted longer, but I've got to finish up the final details on the album and pick what single will be released first," Harry explained and the others nodded in understanding.

Zayn walked into the hotel room and Louis walked over to him and hugged him tight.

"What was that for?" Zayn asks in confusion as he wraps his arms around Louis.

"He thought you'd pulled a Chandler Bing on his wedding day," Harry explained and Zayn frowned as he pulled back to look at Louis.

"But we're not the ones getting married."

"I know," Louis says softly and cuddles back into Zayn.

/4:47 pm/

Harry was in his hotel room with his tux laying on his bed all set and ready to go. He'd taken a long shower and was now waiting to be able to put on his suit and go marry his Niall.

Outside was snowing very lightly as the sky began to darken and he let out a sigh as he checked his phone for the time once more.

"Just one more hour," Harry tells himself quietly.

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~~ ~**

/5:36 pm/

"Oh god," Niall moaned out as Shawn helped him with his suit.

"Can you not puke on me?" Shawn questions his best friend who does look a little green. "Look, everything will be fine. Just take deep breaths and think of what you wanna do during your honeymoon. Good things not dirty things!"

"Well I hope I don't come back as red as a tomato," Niall says and Shawn laughs.

"Just watch yourself, yeah? And be good."

"Yes dad," Niall rolled his eyes and Shawn pinched him as he grabbed his bow tie. "Where's Oli?"

"Talking with his mom in our room."

Niall nods and takes in a deep breath as he pulls on the vest and buttons it up.

"I'm so happy for you," Shawn says as he stands back and places his hands firmly on the shorter boy's shoulders.

"I'm just happy you're here with me," Niall replies softly as he hugs Shawn tightly. "I love you a lot."

"I love you a lot, too," Shawn says happily as he rubs Niall's back and places a kiss to the top of his head.

There's a knock on the hotel room door and Shawn goes over to open it as Niall looks at himself in the mirror.

"Hi sweetie," Maura greets her son. She's wearing a long beige colored dress with sleeves that reach her elbows and done in lace. Anne and her would be wearing the same colored dress while the bridesmaids would be wearing a pastel colored pink dress.

"Hi ma," Niall greets her as he turns around to look at her.

"How are you?"

"Really nervous, but not as much as earlier," Niall tells her honestly with a smile.

"You'll do great, sweetie. Are you almost ready?" She asked as she smoothed his shirt and held up his suit jacket.

"Yeah."

/6:00 pm/

"Oh god, I'm gonna puke," Niall mumbled nervously and Shawn sighed. They were in the elevator heading down to where the wedding would be taking place.

People knew now and it's been trending on Twitter all day since that morning. There were pictures and videos of the guests getting ready or whatever. There was even one of Lottie, Louis' sister, doing Niall's hair.

"You've been saying and doing that all day, but please stop," Shawn begs and Oliver chuckled as he rubs Niall's back. "I'm sure Harry will love you more if you wait and puke all over his shoes."

"Babe, be nice. He's getting married in minutes," Oliver scolded Shawn playfully.

The elevator stopped at the first floor and they headed over to where Bobby and Maura were waiting in a small conference room. The two would be walking Niall down the aisle.

"Hi bud, you ready?" Bobby asked his son, a hint of amusement in his tone and Niall nodded.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Niall tells him.

"Alright, we'll be in there. Don't puke," Shawn warns Niall playfully and they all laugh.

Shawn and Oliver hug Niall before heading out of the room to head inside the room where the ceremony would be taking place. Niall took in a few deep breaths and Lux walked over with her little basket filled with red and pink rose petals.

"Hi uncle Niall!" She greets him, her blonde hair done in cute little ringlets and a light pink flower in her hair. Her dress was light pink with gold and slightly puffy which made her look like a princess.

"Hi Lux, you look very beautiful," he tells her with a smile.

"Thank you!" She giggles and twirls around carefully.

"You ready to be my flower girl?"

"Super ready!"

Lou, Lux's mom, poked her head in the room and smiled.

"You look wonderful, Niall," she tells him.

"Thank you. How's Harry?"

"Nervous but gorgeous. And we're starting in two minutes," she informs the family who nod and she leaves.

"Alright Lux. You're going to walk in front of us and take small handful of petals and throw them on the ground as you walk. We'll be a few steps behind you, alright?" Maura instructs the child who nods.

/6:10 pm/

The double doors open as music begins to play and Maura gives Lux the go ahead and the little girl starts walking as Maura and Bobby loop their arms around Niall's. The blonde takes in a deep breath and smiles as his eyes land on Harry who's waiting for him at the end of the alter standing tall and handsome. He doesn't even pay attention to their guests, his main and only focus is Harry and walking towards him.

Walking down the red carpet in the aisle feels like an eternity. Not even walking the runway felt this long. Eventually they stand in front of Harry who can't tear his gaze away from Niall or stop his eyes from filling up with tears. Maura and Bobby both hug Niall and then Harry before they go off to take their seats next to Anne and her husband in the front row.

"You look breathtaking," Harry tells Niall as they stand facing each other, their row of groomsmen and bridesmaids behind them.

"Thank you. You look amazing as well," Niall tells him breathlessly.

And just like that, Niall's nerves seem to have disappeared as they listen and look at each other.

All four of Harry's band mates are groomsmen but Louis is the best man, seeing as he's helped the two out a lot during their relationship. And Gemma stands as Harry's only bridesmaid. Meanwhile behind Niall stand Shawn as the best man, then Oliver, Eoghan and Ashton Irwin with Laura as Niall's bridesmaid.

The ceremony went by quick and easy, with Theo giving them their rings with a giant smile on his face and pink cheeks. Niall and Harry chuckle a bit and get ready to say their vows.

"Niall, what can I say. The day we first met, I felt something different. Something special," Harry begins to say as he holds both of Niall's hands and gazed into his blue eyes. "You quickly became my best friend and the person I knew I could love forever until my last day. I could write a million songs about you, but none could ever describe perfectly how I feel about you. I love waking up next to you, it's my favorite part of every day and now you're giving me an opportunity to keep doing it forever. I promise to love and care for you, cherish and respect you through all the good and the bad days."

"My dear Harry, our love hasn't been easy. We're both stubborn," Niall says and the crowd chuckles a bit. "We fight and make up the same day, but I'm blessed to have found someone who understands me. Someone who's become my best friend, my soulmate. You are my everything and I promise to be that person you need and deserve."

After their vows were said, they were finally declared a married couple and Harry happily pulls Niall into his arms and kisses him passionately.

"I love you mister Styles," Harry mumbled against Niall's lips as their guests continue to clap for them.

"I love you more mister Styles," Niall jokes as he presses their lips more firmly together for another short kiss before pulling away with red cheeks.

They turn to face their guests and smile at their families sitting in the first two rows of chairs, the boys families are also there, Ed Sheeran is sitting in the fifth row with his girlfriend along with James Corden and his family. In the seventh row sat Selena with Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello, Taylor Swift with her current boyfriend and Miley with Liam Hemsworth. Behind them sat the 5SOS boys with their girls. Harry had also invited his new band and even though Niall had only met them twice, he thought they were all amazing people and was glad Harry had invited them, so Harry's band sat mixed with Josh and Sandy, the only two of One Direction's live band who could make it.

Niall and Harry walked down the aisle holding hands and officially as husbands, smiling at their guests and then heading off to the room where Niall had been waiting with his parents. They were going to wait and let their guests head into the venue while they got a bit of alone time to kind of let everything sink in.

"We're married!" Niall cries out happily as he launches himself at Harry's arms.

"Married!" Harry echoes with just as much glee as his husband and spins him around a few times, pressing kisses to his cheeks. "How have you been?"

"I was very nervous. Went through several panic attacks and couldn't keep anything down. I also annoyed Shawn a lot, think he was ready to throw me out my hotel window."

Harry chuckled and sits Niall on the table in the center of the room, standing between his legs and kissing him softly.

"Gotta save some for tonight, love," Niall tells Harry who's kissing down his neck now with his long arms wrapped around Niall's waist.

"If I could, I'd take you right here and right now," Harry says as he pulls away and smiles at Niall who rolls his eyes.

"Just hug me," Niall mumbled and Harry does as he's told, burying his face into Niall's neck and breathing him in.

/7:15 pm/

Niall and Harry walk into the venue and immediately everyone else starts clapping and cheering for them.

"Oh my boys," Anne cries as she hugs both of them together. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, mom," Harry tells her with a giant grin, his arm wrapped around Niall's waist.

"Now enjoy your party."

On their way to their table the recently married couple get stopped and congratulated by various people and eventually they sit at their table.

"I'm so tired already," Niall complains as he unbuttons his jacket and Harry chuckled.

"Well you better find some energy because it's going to be a long night," Harry tells him with a smile, watching the waiters make their rounds and delivering the food.

The venue they picked is beautiful. There's a giant chandelier in the center right where the dance floor is and a bunch of other smaller ones around the room. There's ten chairs per table that are covered in white table clothes with gorgeous centerpieces in each. There's a live band in the stage, but they're both sure that their friends will want to sing something. Ed had already asked if he could do that and Harry had agreed.

"We did a great job with this, didn't we?" Harry asked his husband.

"We did, well we got help but it came out more than great. Something out of a fairytale," Niall says as he smiles over at Harry who smiles back at him and leans in to kiss him.

A flash goes off in front of their faces and they pull away to look up at the person. It's the photographer who smiles at them and then heads off to keep taking pictures.

"Speech!" Someone shouted as the sound of a fork hitting a glass sounded through the room and the live band had stopped playing, the singer handing the microphone over to Shawn who was first.

"I'm terrible at giving speeches, but uh here goes nothing. Niall and I go way way back like we were just a bunch of toddlers running through Irish fields, but he's my little brother despite him being a year older than me," Shawn says a little nervously with his glass in his hand and the crowd laughs a little at the last part. "He's definitely one of the strongest people I know and together we've been through a lot and as he goes on to this new journey in his life, I can't help but to wish him the best and hope that Harry treats him right or else."

Harry chuckled and raised his glass at Shawn while Niall sniffled slightly. Louis' best man speech was anything but heartfelt. It was funny and he kept the guests laughing and telling fond memories of Harry pre-Niall or shortly after he first started talking to Niall. Greg and Gemma were next and then they all went back to eating.

"Is it still trending?" Harry asks as he watches Niall scroll through Twitter.

"Yeah, but so far no ones posted any pictures of us two officially married," Niall replies as he looks over at his husband with a smile.

"Wanna be the first to share the news?"

"Read my mind."

Harry's the one to take the selfie. Niall's kissing his cheek and Harry's smiling bigger than he's ever smiled before.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~~ ~**

[picture that Harry took]

Liked by nickgrimshaw, niallstyles and 2,016,819 others

 **harrystyles:** Happy to finally be able to call you my husband @niallstyles

View all 47,618 comments

 **niallstyles:** best day of my life

 **lukehemmings:** my dads are finally married!!

 **NarryUpdates:** oh my gosh!!! I'm screamjg

*

TRENDING

#CongratsNarry  
Niall Styles  
Mr and Mr Styles

 **Niall Horan-Styles @NiallOfficial:** I'm a Styles now !!

 **Gemma Styles @GemmaAnneStyles:** @NiallOfficialy I can finally call you my favorite brother ;)

 **Harry Styles. @Harry_Styles:** @GemmaAnneStyles @NiallOfficial Rude.

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~~ ~**

/9:30 pm/

Niall was talking with Camila and Shawn at a table when Harry walks over to him and telling him that they'll be doing their first dance as a couple soon. Niall wasn't sure what song they'd be dancing to, so he was pretty excited to find out. The live band was off on a small break right now and they had a DJ playing songs.

"Why won't you tell me?" Niall whined as he looked up at Harry, the two waiting for their queue to go to the dancefloor.

"Because," Harry says with a smile as he leans down to kiss Niall's forehead.

"Alright, will the couple come to the dancefloor so they can have their first dance?" The DJ says into his mic and the lights dim so only the smaller chandeliers are casting a soft glow along with the fairly lights that are hanging from the white drapes in the ceiling.

"Come on, babe," Harry says as he takes Niall's hand and leads him to the center of the dance floor.

Niall was very shocked when Miley appeared on stage with the live band. Niall looked up at Harry with wide eyes and Harry simply placed his arms around Niall's waist as the blonde's arms wrapped around Harry's neck as the band began to play the first notes of the song.

"I just want to congratulate the couple on their big day and wish them the best and that their love keeps growing and keeps being as beautiful as it is today. Love you boys!" Miley says into the microphone and the other guests clap, Niall seeing that over half of them have their phones out recording.

**"Baby, baby, are you listening?**

**Wondering where you've been all my life.**

**I just started living.**

**Oh baby, are you listening?**

**Oh,"** Miley began to sing, closing her eyes as she pours her heart out to make it her best performance for the two boys.

"This song will always hold a very special place in my heart," Harry says with a smile as he looks at Niall who's staring back up at him with slightly teary eyes.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Niall questions though he already knows the answer, he just wants to hear his husband talk.

"Because it became our first song as a couple that we'd sing to each other often during our first year together."

**"Baby, can you hear me**

**When I'm crying out for you?**

**I'm scared, oh, so scared**

**But when you're near me**

**I feel like I'm standing with an army**

**Of men armed with weapons.**

**When you say you love me**

**Know I love you more**

**And when you say you need me**

**Know I need you more**

**Boy, I adore you**

**I adore you.**

**I love lying next to you**

**I could do this for eternity, you and me**

**We're meant to be in holy matrimony**

**God knew exactly what He was doing**

**When He led me to you,"** Miley sang and Niall was now resting his head on Harry's shoulder and his eyes were closed as he swayed to the song with Harry who was singing along with Miley in Niall's ear.

Before the song ended, Niall and Harry shared a small sweet kiss and then the song ended, making the room fill up with clapping and cheering while Niall sniffled as he looked up at Harry.

"I love you," Niall tells him softly.

"Love you more, bunny," Harry replies just as soft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last update for Book 2 is up on Monday and first chapter of Book 3 up on Wednesday or Thursday :)


	28. Four years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **harrystyles:** Four years ago

//January 16 ; 12:18 am//

The party was in full swing. The dance floor was currently filled with most of their guests dancing to Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop The Feeling. Niall simply laughs from where he's sitting, watching Louis make a complete fool of himself. Suddenly Harry sits down beside his husband with two glasses of wine and Niall scoots his chair closer to Harry's so he can cuddle into his man.

"Having fun?" Harry asks him with his arm around Niall's shoulders.

"Yeah, but I'm also tired. I've been up for like nineteen hours now and not to mention that I spent a great part of my day throwing up and didn't get to eat properly until a few hours ago," Niall explains and Harry only smiles fondly as he kisses the top of Niall's head.

"We can head up in a bit if you want. They'll understand. Besides, the place is rented out until five."

"Jesus," Niall mumbles.

"Oi! Don't be boring and let's go dance!" Louis shouts as he walks over to the two, bright and happy from the drinks he's had and the smoke break he had with Zayn not too long ago. "Enjoy your damn day!"

"We are, but unlike you my feet are killing me and I'm not wearing heels," Niall tells Louis who scoffs but grabs Niall's arm and begins to tug until the blonde gets the hint and goes off to dance with him Shawn, Camila and Selena.

I Got A Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas came on, making the crowd cheer and start to sing right away which only made Niall throw his head back and laugh.

"Tonight's the night, let's live it up! I got my money, let's spend it up! Go out and smash it like oh my god! Jump off that sofa, let's get, get off!" They all shouted and Harry shook his head in amusement as he watched Niall have fun with that group of people.

"Alright, we're going to slow things a bit and we request the grooms to the dance floor because we've got a ginger who wants to sing to them," the DJ said and the people began to clear the dance floor as Harry made his way over to Niall.

Ed walked onto the stage with his acoustic guitar, the sleeves of his white button down were rolled up to his elbows and his tie was undone and hanging from around his neck. Niall and Harry began to dance as Ed started to sing Thinking Out Loud, being joined by other couples halfway through. After that song, Ed sang Perfect which made Niall start to cry because of his engagement night.

"You know, we're having a beach wedding when we renew our vows in ten years time," Harry says, his hands on Niall's hips and the blonde rolls his eyes.

"You still want that summer wedding, don't you?" Niall guesses and Harry nods sheepishly.

"I mean, I really loved this, but I also thought it would have been nice to have an outdoor wedding. Besides, next time we'll make it more intimate and our kids will be there."

Niall hadn't been drinking much all night, mostly since he was tired and hadn't had much to eat, but an hour later he feels himself getting there quickly after having had a round or two of shots with the 5SOS boys. He doesn't want to get drunk, mainly cause if he does he'll fall asleep once they reach their hotel room later and the nearly four weeks Harry and him avoided having sex to save themselves for this night won't have worked.

He sobers up a bit by drinking water and avoiding alcohol for the next half an hour, hitting the dance floor again with his husband when the DJ starts playing FOUR songs.

/3:54 am/

The party was winding down now. A few guests had left and only the family and a few others remained. The first ones to leave had been Sandra and her family as well as Greg and Denise because of Theo who'd fallen asleep on Harry after eating cake. Lou and Lux had also already left and Harry's band.

Social media was now filled with pictures from the party, the most popular videos being of Miley serenading the couple during their first dance and then Ed singing. Niall and Harry started saying their goodbyes to the leftover guests and then headed up to their room to catch a few hours of sleep before their flight.

"Nearly twenty four hours awake," Niall groaned as he laid back on the bed in his hotel room, his clothes from the day before thrown about.

"You poor thing. Just think about it though, by this time tomorrow we'll be in the Bahamas enjoying our honeymoon," Harry says as he gets on the bed and leans down to kiss Niall softly.

"Can't wait. Just you and me for three weeks in the beach and all the sex we want."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

[video of Narry dancing while Miley sings]

1,029,187 views - Liked by niallstyles

 **mileycyrus:** Was a pleasure singing to you boys last night! Wishing you a lot of happiness and love in your marriage

View all 41,289 comments

 **niallstyles:** thank you so much for performing for us !!

 **theStyles:** ok but Niall must have fangirled so hard tho, haha !

//January 17//

**"Harry Styles and Niall Horan tie the knot and party all night in a star studded party!"**

_'Harry Styles and Irish model Niall Horan got married on the fourth anniversary of when they first met! How romantic! The party was filled with many of their famous friends including Styles' ex and Niall's bestie, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran and many more! Through out the night, the guests shared videos and pictures of the party which we're pretty jealous we weren't invited because it certainly was the event of the year! The couple also had their first dance as a married couple with Miley Cyrus who serenaded them with her song Adore You...'_

*

[pictures of Oli and Shawn in a photobooth with Niall sneaking into the frames slowly]

Liked by camila_cabello and 602,475 others

 **shawnmendes:** photobombed in a photobooth, safe to say Oli and I weren't too happy...

View all 18,376 comments

 **MendesMyLove:** aww, haha!! Niall is so cute sneaking in

**~ ~ ~ */NIALL/* ~ ~ ~**

It was a long flight from London to the North Eleuthera Airport and then they took a short water taxi ride to get to their actual destination, Harbour Island. They finally reach the villa they'll be staying at. It's got two bedrooms and two bathrooms and right by the beach. The villa is part of Coral Sands resort and steps away from Pink Sands Beach.

Basically both Niall and Harry had agreed that it was the perfect destination for their honeymoon. As soon as they're in the villa though, Niall heads off to the bedroom and drops his things by the doorway before getting on the bed and complaining about being tired.

"You've been complaining for the last two days, is our marriage going to be based on complaints?" Harry asked in amusement as he enters the room, the glass sliding doors across the bed giving view to the beach.

"Yes and a lot of them."

"Come on, let's go get something to eat because I'm starving and I'm sure you are too."

Niall gets off the bed reluctantly and starts to follow Harry through their home for the next three weeks. Outside the weather is great. The sun is shining and the waves are crashing against the shore peacefully. There's a very small breeze, but it doesn't bother them as they walk towards the resort to eat something at the restaurant. Niall laces his fingers with Harry's, the two talking about what they want to do during the next three weeks.

"You know I still can't believe we're married," Niall says a little dreamily, letting out a sigh as a smile is formed on his face and Harry chuckles.

"After everything that happened, did you ever think we could one day accomplish this?" Harry asked his husband carefully, feeling him tense beside him slightly.

"No," Niall tells him after a few seconds of silence. "At first I was just really determined to move on and erase you from my heart, but it was hard and well even though I was only ever interested in Bressie, I knew I wasn't ever going to be happy with someone else. And then after we had that talk after the awards, I figured it wouldn't be so bad to try again."

"I love you a lot and I'm glad it was impossible for you to move on."

Niall laughs and hits Harry's shoulder just as they enter the resort.

After they eat lunch, the couple head back to their villa to unpack and rest a bit. Once the sun starts to set later that day, they go outside to the little porch and sit on the two lounge chairs that face the sea. Their own front row to catch the beautiful sunset.

"You know what you should do because you love me so much?" Harry asks his husband who looks over at him with an unimpressed expression.

"According to you, what should I do?" Niall asks him as he grabs the beer they'd bought on their way back from lunch.

"Sing a song with me for my album."

"Haz-"

"You know how much I love your voice and the fans do too! I mean, your video's killing it on YouTube and people keep asking if you're going to release more. Please? I started writing this one song and I want you to help me with it because it sounds like a duet. Please?"

"Can I like see the song and think about it? You know I'm not really comfortable with that kind of stuff," Niall eventually tells him and Harry nods.

Once the night falls, the two head inside feeling a bit tipsy and head into the bathroom to shower together. And for the first time since they got married, they had shower sex though not their best one considering they didn't have the best balance after drinking a few beers.

//January 20//

Niall woke up to an empty bed and he sat up confused because the sun still wasn't up, even though the sun was starting to break through the horizon. Getting out of bed to look for his missing husband, Niall pulls on his underwear that lay discarded on the floor and Harry's t-shirt before wrapping a thin blanket around his shoulders and heading out. The backdoor was open and Niall saw Harry sitting outside staring out at the ocean.

"Hey," Niall greets him softly, giggling when Harry jumped and gasped in fright. "Sorry."

"Dick," Harry says fondly as he looks up at the blonde with a smile. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, well yes because you weren't in bed with me." Niall pouts as he sits on Harry's lap. "What are you doing out here?"

"Couldn't sleep so I decided to come and see the sunrise. Didn't want to wake you up," Harry replies as he wraps his arms around Niall's hips and pulls him closer to him, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

"Is there a reason why you couldn't sleep or just cause?" Niall wondered a bit worriedly. They were meant to be on their honeymoon relaxing instead of stressing out over things, but even Niall has had his stressful moments about worrying about the future. He hasn't voiced his worries to Harry though seeing as he didn't want to ruin their vacation.

"Thinking about my upcoming tour. Kinda scared to do this on my own," Harry admitted and Niall gave him a soft reassuring smile.

"Well don't be because you'll do amazing and I'm sure the fans will love to see you on your own. I know it's probably not easy to go from being four on stage to just one, but you were born to own the stage, Harry. You're going to do so well on your own and I'm going to be there attending as much shows as I can to cheer you on and I'll be so proud to see you doing your own thing," Niall told his husband softly. The early morning was peaceful and Niall felt like it could break if he talked too loud.

"I'm so lucky to have you," Harry says into the crook of Niall's neck as he hugs his husband tightly.

They sit in silence after that, Niall nearly dozing off on Harry when the curly haired lad nudges him and that's when they both sit and watch the sunrise. It's beautiful and despite him being tired, Niall was glad he was able to experience it with Harry.

//January 22//

"Harry," Niall moaned out in misery as he looked up from the toilet bowl.

"I told you not to eat so much last night," Harry informs his boyfriend who throws up again.

"Stop scolding me, I feel like I'm dying."

Harry rolled his eyes but went over to comfort his husband.

Half an hour later Niall is laying in bed while Harry places a glass of water on the nightstand right by Niall. The blonde had unfortunately caught food poisoning yesterday after eating some sketchy food at this local restaurant that only seated two tables of two and had some weird things in the menu. Harry hadn't eaten anything at the restaurant and had warned Niall but the blonde said he wanted to try eating in as much different places as possible.

"Drink your water, the doctor told you to drink as much as you could so you wouldn't get dehydrated," Harry informed the blonde who groaned. "If you feel worse, we should probably consider going home so your doctor can see you."

"Haz, I'm throwing up nearly every ten minutes and you want me to make a long ass flight back home? Screw you, mate, I'm better off dying here."

It's quiet for a few minutes and Harry thought Niall was finally falling asleep, but the blonde suddenly sits up and scrambles off the bed.

"Babe?" Harry calls worriedly.

"Bathroom!" Niall shouts as he runs into the bathroom and slams the door shut and Harry chuckles and leaves the room to give his husband some privacy.

**~ ~ ~ */YOU/* ~ ~ ~**

//January 30//

[picture of Niall leaning against a railing and looking out at the sunset]

Liked by gemmastyles, aaliyahmende.s and 1,873,993 others

 **harrystyles:** Four years ago you were simply my best friend, but there was no doubt in my mind that someday you'd become more than that. Today I'm living the adventure of a lifetime right next to you and I couldn't be more thankful to be sharing so many new memories with you. Your my favorite part of everyday and I fall in love with you more and more.

View all 68,283 comments

 **gemmastyles:** why can't you be this deep with my birthday texts??

 **HoranHugs:** you guys are too cute I just can't deal with this anymore :(

*

[boomerang of Niall and Harry sharing a small kiss]

Liked by camila_cabello, bellahadid, calumhood and 462,387 others

 **niallhoran:** In paradise...

View all 30,276 comments

 **NarryFeels:** least we know they're alive, haha !!

 **camila_cabello:** CUTIESSSS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sick and very miserable, but I'm powering through to FINALLY finish this. It's a shitty chapter and I apologize for that, but really I was blocked.
> 
> Anyways, book 3 starts on Wednesday because I am that nice and hopefully I won't feel as shitty by then (fingers crossed). Yes it will be mpreg so I apologize to those who don't want that. Thank you so far for reading both books and I've had fun writing this. I know I said that my new story "Dear Harry," would be out soon, but I'm literally working on three different versions of that and rewriting the first one so you probably won't get to read that until January
> 
> So yeah, Book 2 is now finished so thank you again for your time!!

**Author's Note:**

> Updates Mondays and/or Thursdays :)


End file.
